patridge.png
Getty Images

Former Michigan linebackers coach Chris Partridge, who was fired during a sign-stealing investigation, has sued the school for wrongful termination, claiming the Wolverines created a "false narrative" about him that has ruined his reputation. Partridge wants the "truth" to come to light, according to a suit filed this week in US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

Partridge now works for the Seattle Seahawks and says despite having nothing to do with the Connor Stalions situation into advanced scouting, he was made a "scapegoat" after Big Ten commissioner Tony Petiti allegedly "presented (Michigan athletic director Warde) Manuel with uncorroborated, second-hand, inflammatory information" per the lawsuit and said Partridge told a former Wolverines player to "not be forthright with information" ahead of an interview with the NCAA.

Partridge claims he simply told the Michigan player to "get a lawyer" and that Petiti's alleged "threat" to Michigan was aimed at "embarrassing" the Wolverines, had it come to light during a pending injunction hearing associated with then-coach Jim Harbaugh's three-game suspension.

Partridge told ESPN this week he wants his name cleared of wrongdoing so he can return to coaching at the college level.

"I always believe that the truth will eventually come out," Partridge said. "I went all the way through the process with the NCAA, and the truth prevailed. And I feel I have to go all the way through the process with Michigan for the truth with Michigan to prevail."

Michigan said in a statement after Partridge's firing in 2023 that the school's focus "has been on seeking due process and allowing the NCAA to conduct a fair and deliberate investigation."

Partridge was hired prior to the 2023 season in Ann Arbor after spending the previous three seasons as Ole Miss's co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. He served in various roles at Michigan from 2015-19, including special teams coordinator from 2016-19, linebackers coach from 2016-17 and safeties coach from 2018-19. 

Stalions resigned at Michigan in November 2023, a few weeks after he was suspended by the university amid its investigation into alleged sign-stealing efforts. In August 2025, the NCAA's Committee on Infractions delivered its final verdict, levying a $20 million fine against the university and imposing a suspension on then-coach Sherrone Moore and a 10-year show-cause order upon Harbaugh.

The NCAA said it found that "Michigan football program committed violations involving an off-campus, in-person scouting scheme." Stalions was deemed the mastermind of the operation, but the NCAA also tagged Harbaugh with a "responsibility violation" and Moore with a Level II "failure to cooperate" violation. 

Partridge was never alleged to have known about Michigan's sign-stealing operation.