JUST IN: Michigan quarterback McCarthy claims the sign-stealing story obscured the hard effort of

According to quarterback J.J. McCarthy, the sign-stealing issue that has lingered over Michigan’s season has overshadowed the team’s efforts to go undefeated and reach the College Football Playoff championship game.

Michigan plays Washington for the national championship on Monday in Houston, as the NCAA continues to investigate allegations that the Wolverines violated NCAA rules by having a staff member do in-person advance scouting and using video equipment to pick off future opponents’ play-call signs from the sideline over a three-year period ending this season.

When asked about the likelihood of the NCAA ordering Michigan to vacate wins during a CFP media teleconference, McCarthy said it would be awful for the players not to be acknowledged for what they’ve accomplished.

“But at the end of the day,” he went on to say, “it’s not going to change the amount of accomplishment and the amount of pride for being on this football team and just everything that we accomplished because we know what we put in, we know the work that we’ve put in, and we know that we did things the right way as players.”

Coach Jim Harbaugh shrugged off a question about potential punishments, saying he is focused on the game versus Washington.