Michigan sign-stealing scandal heats up as Big Ten coaches pressure for immediate action against Jim Harbaugh's Michigan Wolverines: Reports

Big Ten coaches are reportedly calling for the conference to punish the Michigan Wolverines.

Jim Harbaugh and Michigan are under investigation for allegedly stealing signs illegally by going to games and video-taping sidelines.

On Wednesday, the Big Ten coaches had a video call with commissioner Tony Petitti. After the regularly scheduled Big Ten business, Harbaugh reportedly hung up so the other coaches and Petitti could freely talk about the investigation.

According to ESPN, the coaches spoke for more than an hour. The report also says the coaches encouraged Petitti to take action against Michigan, as the call was intense and emotional.

"Collectively, the coaches want the Big Ten to act -- right now," said a source familiar with the call. "What are we waiting on? We know what happened."

Sources told ESPN that words like "tainted," "fraudulent" and "unprecedented" were brought up to explain the sign-stealing. They also explained to Petitti how the sign-stealing worked and how it impacted their games.

"People don't understand the seriousness of it," said another source. "How it truly impacted the game plan. To truly know if it's a run or a pass, people don't understand how much of an advantage that was for Michigan."

The NCAA has been investigating the matter for nearly the past two weeks.

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Jim Harbaugh denies any knowledge of sign-stealing

After the report came out that Michigan was illegally stealing signs, head coach Jim Harbaugh released a statement saying he had no knowledge of it. Harbaugh said:

“I do not have any knowledge or information regarding the University of Michigan football program illegally stealing signals, nor have I directed any staff member or others to participate in an off-campus scouting assignment."

The 59-year-old added:

“I have no awareness of anyone on our staff having done that or having directed that action. I do not condone or tolerate anyone doing anything illegal or against NCAA rules.”

With the investigation still ongoing, we won't know if Harbaugh had any involvement until the full report comes out.

The Michigan Wolverines are set to host Purdue at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.