Tony Petitti’s response to the NCAA letter. Yes he sent it. Won’t comment on what he said. Touts the CSC as it will move faster than the NCAA. The CSC is specific to the settlement and would have nothing to do with anything like this. Ultimate spin job, weak leadership. pic.twitter.com/xNRWDvgZR0
— Juck (@JuckOnBucks) July 22, 2025
It was a bit of a shocker earlier in the week to find out that Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti reportedly sent a letter to the NCAA advocating for Michigan not to face any more penalties for the alleged advanced sign-stealing allegations. You knew that it would be a topic of conversation with that news dropping right before Big Ten football media days, and sure enough, it didn’t take long for the media to ask Petitti about it when he stepped to the podium to deliver his press conference on Tuesday.
Being the politician and even-keeled spokesman for one of the biggest brands in sports, Petitti was not about to take the bate, but did confirm that he sent a letter.
“We did submit a letter,” Petitti said. “It’s not uncommon in proceedings for a conference office to weigh in. I’m not gonna address what the contents of the letter we sent are, and because it’s an ongoing process, I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to comment whether (the punishment) is enough or not while there are individuals deliberating. I don’t think that’s the right thing to do in the process.”
Petitti refusing to discuss the contents of the letter is not surprising, and neither is the reported contents of the letter coming from ESPN’s Dan Wetzel. It’s still an ongoing investigation, and Petitti isn’t going to throw gasoline on the fire of a very controversial topic. Also, his advocating for one of the best and biggest brands in the Big Ten isn’t surprising at all. He acted swiftly and appropriately early on, and now it’s time to get in the bunker and try to keep the interests of the Big Ten above everything else. Keeping Michigan in the picture of the College Football Playoff is exactly what he is expected to do.
Ohio State fans may not like his position — in fact most in the college football world won’t — but it’s better for the Big Ten to have Michigan being Michigan.
The good news is that this whole thing is going to be over soon, probably right before or after the 2025 college footall season begins. Then, maybe we can all get on with our lives and just focus on football on the field.
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