Owen McCown was one of the lead figures in a Memphis playbook sharing scandal that has ripped through the college football world this week. More fuel was added to the scandal on Thursday as direct messages between UTSA quarterback Owen McCown and former Memphis defensive back Tahj Ra-El were leaked.
In the messages, Ra-El sent pictures of Memphis’s playbook to McCown and revealed information about an injured player before the two teams faced off in November.
On Friday, McCown spoke to the media and addressed the playbook sharing scandal. McCown emphasized that he did not ask for anything and that Ra-El sent the playbook unprompted. He then went on to discuss how the information was irrelevant and did not impact how the team prepared for the game.
UTSA QB Owen McCown addresses the report that he was shared the Memphis playbook. pic.twitter.com/O0gZVbcObA
— JJ Perez (@theJJPerez) July 25, 2025
This led to a big reaction from fans, including one who blamed Michigan for normalizing cheating with their sign-stealing scandal from a few years ago.
“Michigan normalized cheating now every program knows they can get away with it,” one fan wrote.
“So it’s true and somehow there isn’t an issue since it wasn’t requested?” one fan commented.
“In summary, the article is true, but I didn’t use the information given,” one fan added.
Fans continued to react in the comments.
“I didn’t have UTSA getting headlines without beating a top team this year on my bingo card….This sport is full of surprises,” one fan wrote.
“To know that info was irrelevant means that you looked at it with the intent of getting an edge,” one fan commented.
“There is literally no way this inferior UTSA team beats Memphis without cheating,” one fan added.
AAC Commissioner Tom Pernetti Speaks About the Owen McCown Memphis Playbook Sharing Scandal
While the college football world appears concerned about this playbook sharing scandal, those in the AAC have been trying to downplay the situation. Notably, at a press conference on Friday, AAC commissioner Tom Pernetti spoke about the scandal. He stated that while conference officials take the scandal seriously, he does not think there is much to the story. He said that he thinks it has been “sensationalized.”
American’s Tim Pernetti on report about direct messages b/w Memphis & UTSA players: “I’m aware of the situation. I’ve had very open dialogue w/Coach Traylor & Coach Silverfield about it. They’re going to address it. There’s not really much to this story. I think a lot of it has…
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) July 25, 2025
Despite the attempt to downplay the scandal, UTSA went on to win the game 44-36, possibly with the help of the playbook. The two teams will not compete this season and Tahj Ra-El has transferred to Memphis.
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