Catapult launched investigation amid Alabama, Michigan concerns

Catapult, a company that provides video storage for college football programs and other organizations, said it is supporting an ongoing investigation with the NCAA and local authorities after players from Alabama and Michigan said they were made aware of security concerns with the platform.

“We are aware of the ongoing investigation of the alleged unauthorized access to NCAA football video footage,” a Catapult spokesperson said in a statement. “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.”

The company did not specify which local authorities were investigating or which schools were involved. A Michigan spokesman said the school took down its cloud-based storage system in early November amid concerns it had been targeted in a potential breach. Players could access film from Michigan’s servers while inside university facilities but weren’t given access to watch it remotely on tablets or other devices.

“We watched it in-house and handled it that way,” said Sherrone Moore, Michigan’s offensive coordinator. “It was something that we decided from our own perspective. People heard some things and we wanted to make sure we were safe on our end.”

Concerns about the Catapult platform became public Thursday when players from Alabama said they were only watching film in group meetings in preparation for Monday’s Rose Bowl matchup against Michigan. This isn’t the first time teams have taken extra precautions before a game against Michigan, but concerns about the security of practice film is a separate issue from the sign-stealing allegations involving former Michigan staffer Connor Stalions, who allegedly compiled video footage of other teams’ signals shot from the stands during games.

The law enforcement agency investigating the potential breach has not been identified. The University of Michigan Police Department, which has been collaborating with the FBI to investigate potential computer-access crimes involving former Michigan offensive coordinator Matt Weiss, said it is “not involved in any investigation regarding unauthorized access to NCAA football video footage originating from the Michigan football program.”

Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy didn’t fault Alabama for taking extra precautions and said Michigan has been doing the same.

“It makes sense with everything going on and the society we live in today,” McCarthy said. “Like them, we haven’t been watching film on our iPads all of November because of everything that’s been going on. We’re just making sure we’re getting that time in the facility, that time to watch film and really dissect whoever we’re playing.”

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(Photo: David McNew / Getty Images)