Amid a year that already has seen a team embroiled in a sign-stealing scandal, the NCAA is now investigating allegations of a potential security breach into an app teams use for football film.
According to multiple reports, Catapult, the company at the center of the investigation, said it is aware of an investigation into its company over alleged “unauthorized access” of video, but that the company said its own internal probe has not come up with anything that backs up those clams.
According to Catapult’s website, it bills itself as a company that allows organizations to have “comprehensive video & data analysis solutions for football teams. Capture, analyze, & share every aspect of performance.”
It lists Michigan, Alabama, Georgia, Notre Dame and Clemson as college teams that use the product.
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The NCAA’s investigation came as one team was accused of taking footage from other schools on the app, ESPN reported.
“We are aware of the ongoing investigation of the alleged unauthorized access to NCAA football video footage,” the company said in a statement to USA Today’s For the Win. “We have conducted an internal investigation and have not found any security breach in our systems. We have shared this with local authorities that are conducting an investigation. We will continue to support the ongoing investigation with the NCAA and local authorities. At Catapult, we hold ourselves to the highest of standards and safeguarding customer information is of utmost importance to us.”
The news comes one day after Alabama said it was not allowing players to take iPads home to study film but were instead only watching tape together as a team.
Receiver Isaiah Bond spoke to reporters Thursday about the Crimson Tide changing its game prep before its game with Michigan, which was alleged to have stolen signs under a scheme led by former staffer Connor Stalions.
“We were able to watch film as a team, but like personally we can’t watch film because I don’t know, some reason Michigan stealing signs,” Alabama receiver Isaiah Bond told reporters, according to the Tuscaloosa News.
“Our coaches told us that probably like a week ago, right before we left to come here.”
ESPN reported that Michigan believes it was one of the schools targeted in the alleged breach and Yahoo added that the school is not in the middle of this probe.
Wolverines quarterback J.J. McCarthy told 247Sports the team stopped watching video on individual iPads since November.
Offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore added that he “caught wind of things” and stopped the team from watching video individually.
“It makes sense just with everything going on and the society we live in today, but like we haven’t been watching film on our iPads all of November just because of everything that’s been going on,” McCarthy told the outlet. “Just making sure that we get that time in the facility, that time to watch film and really dissect whoever we’re playing.”
Amid all of this, Michigan and Alabama will play Monday at the Rose Bowl for a chance at a berth in the national title game.