It’s been a year of bad press for the Wolverines as J.J McCarthy made another silly decision about…..

Of all the eye-opening details in ESPN’s story Monday on problematic Michigan Man Connor Stalions (30), this one should reinforce a sense of immediacy and urgency to the school, the Big Ten and the NCAA: “Sources confirmed to ESPN that Stalions purchased tickets on both sides of the stadium—across from each bench—for Ohio State’s game with Penn State on Saturday. Michigan plays both teams in upcoming weeks. According to sources, the tickets purchased by Stalions were not used Saturday.

The point here: The Wolverines’ alleged impermissible in-person scouting was a present-tense activity until very recently. The Stalions Scouting Service, brought to you by Ticketmaster and a gung-ho former Marine who is no criminal mastermind, planned to have people in The Horseshoe to put eyeballs (and perhaps phone video) on MIchigan’s two main conference competitors. Tickets were bought and used for other games this season as well. The 2023 season is affected. The cloud over Ann Arbor is visible.

MIchigan’s undefeated, dominant run is playing out amid an increasingly loud controversy. That ups the ante on all involved institutions to adjudicate it swiftly—fairly, to be sure, but also with as much speed as can responsibly be asked.

The NCAA (31) must make a determination on the nature of these potential violations. If this is deemed strictly a playing-rules case, NCAA Enforcement can wash its hands and kick it to the Big Ten office, which could be on the hook to make a massive decision fraught with peril on all sides. That doesn’t seem like the most probable route at this point.