Tim Smith, a local businessman and prominent Michigan donor who used to sit on the board of Champions Circle, an NIL collective for Wolverines athletics, denied Friday that he had any involvement in the school’s sign-stealing scandal.
Reached by The Athletic, Smith said he received notice from his attorney and his daughter recently that his name was being linked to a mysterious donor identified as “Uncle T” who was involved in Michigan’s sign-stealing scandal, which former staffer Connor Stalions is accused of spearheading. But Smith said he has never had a financial transaction with Stalions and does not go by that moniker.
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“I’ve never heard that term,” Smith said. “No one has called me that or referred to me as that.”
Smith said he received notice from Champions Circle that his membership has been recalled. He said the collective did not give him the courtesy of a phone call and that he feels like he’s being treated as “damaged goods.” The collective’s “bios” page on its website that included Smith and the board is no longer active.
“I have no idea where this came from,” Smith said, noting that “all I’ve ever done is give to the school and give to the NIL.”
He said he feels like he’s being treated as a scapegoat.
Smith acknowledged that he has had contact with Stalions since the scandal broke. He said he reached out to see how Stalions was faring on a “human level” but reiterated that he was not involved in the scheme in any way.
He said neither the NCAA, the Big Ten nor the University of Michigan has reached out to discuss the situation with him.
Michigan on Friday fired linebackers coach Chris Partridge, the school announced.
The team did not disclose a reason for Partridge’s firing. Two Michigan sources said the school believes Partridge interfered with the NCAA’s investigation into Michigan’s alleged in-person scouting scheme but hasn’t determined that he was directly involved.
(Photo: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)
