The images appeared nearly a week ago.
Central Michigan officials largely remained mum on what the school's probe into the alleged presence of Connor Stalions on the Chippewas' sideline had or had not uncovered -- except for the initial post-game comments last week from its head coach, Jim McElwain,.
Now, CMU has an update -- of 31 words but four all-important letters: NCAA.
"Central Michigan continues its review of the matter in cooperation with the NCAA," CMU Athletics Director Amy Folan said in a school statement just released. "As this is an ongoing NCAA enforcement matter, we are unable to provide further comment at this time."
The matter in question, as CMU phrased it, was whether or not Stalions was present and on the Central Michigan sideline for its 2023 season-opening contest at Michigan State -- a rival of Michigan, which until about 72 hours ago served as Stalions's employer in the world of college football.
Stalions formally resigned his off-the-field, full-time position in Jim Harbaugh's Michigan Wolverines program late Friday evening, but his presence as both a Michigan football staffer and at numerous games has been proved beyond dispute.
Moreover, FootballScoop and multiple other media outlets reported that Stalions's alleged and illicit in-person, spying, sign-stealing scheme spanned beyond the Big Ten's member institutions to include potential Michigan opponents.
In the case of Stalions's apparent presence on the CMU sideline, it would also reflect Stalions had conducted his own illicit in-person scouting before Michigan had even officially kicked off this season. He was apparently on the CMU sideline, in full Chippewas team-issued gear, Sept. 1 at Michigan State -- the day before Harbaugh's Michigan program opened its season at home.
FootballScoop had reached out directly, multiple times, to officials with both Central Michigan University and the Mid-America Conference (MAC) late last week and again Monday as it sought additional information or an update on the progress of the investigation.
"Before we go any farther, we're obviously aware of a picture floating around of the sign-stealer guy," CMU head coach Jim McElwain said. "Our people are doing everything they can get to get to the bottom of it. ...
"We were unaware, totally unaware of it [the alleged presence of Stalions], and I certainly don't condone [coordinated, illegal in-person scouting and possible sign-stealing] in any way, shape or form," McElwain continued. "I do know that his name was on none of the passes. Now we just keep tracing it back and tracing it back and try to figure it out."
McElwain at the time also said the matter was "in good hands with our people" at Central Michigan.
Not only did the individual believed to be Stalions don Central Michigan gear almost identical to that of the program's coaches, he also appeared to be wearing technologically advanced sunglasses which can record snippets of video. Both Google and Ray-Ban, among others, have manufactured "smart glasses" that have been developed with the capability to record images and video.
Stalions was a "volunteer" staff-member at Michigan in 2018 when McElwain and other members of the current CMU staff were on Harbaugh's Wolverines staff.
Additional reporting from FootballScoop showed that any individual issued a gameday sideline pass from a football team playing either in or at a Big Ten opponent should have been subject to the Big Ten's mandatory form, which FootballScoop first published and has again included below.
The form, boilerplate similar to those used in most conferences around college football, required the names of up to 50 individuals who could be issued a sideline credential for access within a team area. The form is to be certified official via both the head coach's signature and that of the athletics director or an individual thus designated by the AD.