According to a report from The Athletic, the Big 12 Conference has instructed teams to return their in-helmet communication systems so that the league can address technological concerns with the product before Week 10 games get underway on Saturday.
In the report, The Athletic says that it spoke with several league coaches and administrators and discovered that the concerns are related to the “accessibility of the coach-to-helmet radio system” that college football teams started using for the first time this season.
“There are concerns that others can listen in or access opponent (coach-to-player) comm,” a source at a Big 12 school told The Athletic.
The first time an issue with the equipment came up was during the Texas A&M vs. Arkansas game in Week 4, leading to an alert that was sent out to all Power Four Conference officials.
Additionally, Big 12 schools raised concerns for a second time earlier this week, so the league ultimately decided to gather up the equipment and ensure that it was properly protected from interference.
While the issue of cheating is the primary concern in a situation like this, The Athletic stats that the Big 12 is not investigating any accusations of cheating related to the in-helmet comms, nor has an investigation been requested at this time.
For more on this story, be sure to check out the original report here.
