Our guy, Chris Partridge, who's now with the Seattle Seahawks, just dropped a bombshell lawsuit against his former employer, Michigan. He's alleging the university actively covered up their infamous sign-stealing scandal well before their 2023 national championship season even kicked off. This isn't just about some on-field tactics; Partridge claims school leaders *knew* what was happening and buried it.
The Whistleblower and the Hard Drive
Partridge, who was an assistant at Michigan in 2023 before his dismissal, states in his amended lawsuit that former Michigan president Santa Ono and current athletic director Warde Manuel discovered evidence of the sign-stealing in January 2023. That's a full year before they hoisted the national title trophy! The discovery allegedly came during an investigation into another former assistant, Matthew Weiss. This Weiss guy, by the way, was later charged with 24 crimes in 2025, including 14 counts of unauthorized access to computers and 10 counts of aggravated identity theft, for allegedly hacking female athletes' accounts and stealing their private photos. Partridge's lawsuit claims Ono and Manuel found evidence of sign-stealing on Weiss's hard drive but never bothered to tell the NCAA or the university's board of regents. And get this: the lawsuit also alleges Ono told employees, including Manuel, *not* to take any notes on the Weiss investigation to avoid possible disclosure. No wonder Partridge, now a Seahawk, feels like he was made the "scapegoat" here. The original sign-stealing scandal blew up during the 2023 season, ending with the Big Ten suspending Jim Harbaugh for three games. Michigan still won it all, Harbaugh left for the LA Chargers, and the NCAA later hit Michigan with a significant fine, gave Harbaugh a 10-year show-cause penalty, and put the program on four years of probation.A Culture of Silence?
But Partridge's lawsuit doesn't stop there. He also alleges that Michigan administrators were aware of an "inappropriate relationship between former head football coach Sherrone Moore and a subordinate employee for years without taking action to protect the employee." Moore, who took over from Harbaugh, got fired on December 10 for an alleged inappropriate relationship with Paige Shiver, his executive assistant at the time. To add to the mess, Moore pleaded no contest to two misdemeanors in March , malicious use of a telecommunication device in a domestic relationship and trespassing. That was after he allegedly broke into Shiver's home and threatened to harm himself. Shiver, who no longer works at Michigan, has her own lawsuit going too, alleging the school violated the Freedom of Information Act by denying her requests related to Moore's firing. It definitely paints a picture, huh? This amended Partridge lawsuit surfaces at an interesting time for Michigan athletics, with reports about Manuel co... What's next for Michigan? It looks like a long, ugly legal battle is ahead, and the spotlight isn't going anywhere. For Partridge, and for us Seattle sports fans who want to see integrity, this lawsuit is a stark reminder that eventually, the truth usually finds a way out. It's a heavy situation, but one worth watching closely.This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.