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Arizona State coach admits he steals signs, says rivals steal his
For two weeks in a row, opponents have accused Arizona State of stealing signs.
The issue first came up after Arizona State's Oct. 17 game against Utah. Utes players and coaches said the Sun Devils were calling out plays, so the team switched its signals for the fourth quarter. Utah scored 20 points in the final quarter of the 34-18 victory.
Then Oregon even created a fortress last week to protect itself from sign theft.
Oregon offensive coordinator Scott Frost said ASU was the most "diligent" at stealing signs than any team he'd seen in his career — as a player or as a coach.
On Tuesday, Arizona State coach Todd Graham said there was nothing wrong with what his team was doing.
"Do we steal signals? Yeah, we do," Graham said on the Pac-12 coaches' conference call. "Do people steal our signals? Yeah they do. Do you see our signs and all the things we do? It's our responsibility to make sure our signals are safe. There's nothing illegal about (stealing signs)."
Washington State head coach Mike Leach plays Arizona State this week; he'd like ASU investigated by the Pac-12 for sign stealing.
NCAA rules prohibit teams from using video or audio to record another team's signals, but there is nothing that specifically says teams can't try to figure out the other team's signs.
"Absolutely, it is an accepted part of the game," Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. "The onus falls on the guys doing the signaling. It's not anyone else's job to look the other way. As long as it's not illegal, I am not sure however you can manage or control that. It's the job of the team doing signals to have signals complex enough that they can't be picked off."
Several other coaches in the conference agreed with Whittingham, saying it was up to them to prevent teams from figuring out their signals.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
(h/t SB Nation)
