NCAA looking into unauthorized access to video data

A software company that manages video footage for college football teams said Friday the NCAA is looking into possible unauthorized access to its data.

Players and coaches for fourth-seeded Alabama and No. 1 Michigan have indicated in the lead up to their Rose Bowl matchup on Monday that players had been instructed to avoid watching film using the Catapult Sports app on their mobile devices because of security concerns.

“Just told our kids, I think it was early November, ‘Hey, we’re not watching stuff on the iPads anymore. Watch it in-house and handle it that way,’ ” Michigan offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore said this week.

Catapult said in a statement it was aware of the ongoing investigation of alleged unauthorized access to college football video footage.

“We have conducted an internal investigation and have not found any security breach in our systems,” Catapult said. “We have shared this with local authorities that are conducting an investigation.”

Football programs use Catapult’s software to manage and sort video from games and practices that coaches share with players.

Michigan is being investigated by the NCAA for an alleged in-person scouting and signstealing scheme, but a Michigan spokesperson said the program has not been notified that is under any scrutiny for potential issues with Catapult video being accessed without proper authorization.

The Big Ten penalized Michigan for violating its sportsmanship policy by suspending coach Jim Harbaugh for the final three games of the regular season.

ELSEWHERE

Former DePaul coach Meyer dead at 74

Joey Meyer, who played at DePaul and coached the Blue Demons to seven NCAA Tournament appearances in 13 seasons, has died. He was 74.

Meyer died Friday in the Chicago suburb of Hinsdale, surrounded by family, DePaul said in a release. The school did not provide any further information.

Joey Meyer played for his father, Ray, for three seasons from 1968-1971, averaging 16.4 points in 75 games for DePaul.

Meyer served as an assistant for his father for 11 seasons before taking over when Ray retired after coaching DePaul from 1942-1984. Joey Meyer got the Blue Demons into the NCAA tourney in each of his first five seasons. They reached the Sweet 16 in 1986 and 1987.

In other news, Texas standout junior point guard Rori Harmon

will miss the rest of the season for the No. 5 Longhorns after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee in practice, the team announced. MLB: The Boston Red Sox added Lucas Giolito to their rotation on Friday, agreeing to a $38.5 million, two-year contract with the righthander.

The 29-year-old Giolito can opt out of the deal after the 2024 season, a person familiar with the agreement told the Associated Press. If he opts out, the contract would be worth $19 million.

Also, Chris Flexen has agreed to a $1.75 million, one-year contract with the Chicago White Sox, giving manager Pedro Grifol another possibility for his rotation.