Back on December 10, Michigan fired Sherrone Moore after an internal situation spiraled out of control. An investigation revealed he had an inappropriate relationship with his executive assistant, Paige Shiver which is a violation of university standards. But things got from bad to worse after he later showed up at Shiver’s apartment, leading to his arrest. The former Michigan head coach has avoided jail time but instead received 18 months of probation. That’s the legal resolution. But internally, Michigan is still dealing with the aftermath.  

When Michigan AD Warde Manuel finally addressed the fallout from Sherrone Moore’s firing and sentencing, he went straight to the point and the emotion.

“I felt betrayed,” he told The Detroit News’ Angelique Chengelis during an online Q&A. “It’s the best word that I can use. I felt hurt for all the staff and the student-athletes and the university, because it’s something that I had talked about, as it related to the expectations of our employees in athletics and for the university. I’ve talked about it at all-staff meetings… that this was not going to be tolerated by me or the university, and I thought I was very clear about my expectations and about the outcomes if something like that would happen.”

There’s no ambiguity there that this was personal. Warde Manuel had known Sherrone Moore since 2018. He admitted that he believed in him and trusted him to lead. And after all that Michigan had to go through under the AD’s watch, he’s had enough. Just think about the Connor Stalions sign-stealing saga, Jim Harbaugh’s suspension over recruiting violations, and Matt Weiss’ firing. These are different incidents but it all leads back to the controversy surrounding the Wolverines. 


So naturally, the question comes up about whether he acted too late with Sherrone Moore. But the thing is, Warde Manuel initially hoped those allegations were false and now, he’s giving his take on the situation.  

“There are a lot of people who claim to be callous, who say, ‘Oh, you should have fired him when the rumor was there.’ But you can’t just fire people on rumors with no evidence,” he said. “So when the evidence was presented, it was a sense of betrayal and hurt for everybody who was going to be involved with a decision. Players, coaches, their families. Everybody.”

Decisions like this require proof. And according to the AD, the process started with a hotline report. From there, HR took over and interviews were conducted. At that point, nothing concrete was found which is why Sherrone Moore stayed until everything changed. Warde Manuel described getting the call while on a flight back from a National Football Foundation event. The urgency was immediate as he was told to call the university’s general counsel right away.

“I got the information on the phone call and got home and went into the office and called (Moore) immediately to come in and meet with me,” he recounted. “We had a brief conversation, and I listened to (Moore), and then I told him that he was no longer going to be the head coach here.”

What happened next reveals just how messy this situation really was. Warde Manuel said Sherrone Moore left the room visibly shaken. He tried to bring him back, to talk, to calm him down. But when he couldn’t find him, he contacted DPSS due to concern. This adds another layer to the word “betrayed” because even in that moment, the AD was still trying to look out for someone he once trusted. And just when Michigan thought the story might settle, another question surfaced.

Is Warde Manuel under pressure too? 

The Sherrone Moore situation didn’t just end with a firing because it triggered a full cultural assessment of Michigan’s athletic department. An outside firm, Jenner & Block, was brought in to evaluate the environment that allowed it to happen. Warde Manuel says he’s open to it but he’s also pushing back on how it’s being framed.

“What I haven’t appreciated… is in the context of an investigation into the culture here,” he admitted. 

In his view, this isn’t a broken system but more like a system that’s had issues but still functions at a high level.

“However people want to couch it, what I want is people to understand that 99.9% of the people here are doing things the right way,” he added. “We’ve had our issues and we’re not perfect, and I don’t know any organization that’s without issues and people issues.”

This is both defense and an admission because at this point, “issues” have become part of Michigan’s recent identity. That brings the spotlight right back to the AD. Some believe this investigation is really about him and his leadership but he doesn’t see it that way and he isn’t concerned about his job security. 

“I’m confident in what I’ve done and how I’ve done it, and what I’ve asked people to do,” he said. “Again, I’m not perfect, and I don’t know anybody who is, but I’m confident that I have done everything to make sure that we do things the right way within the department.”

The next chapter depends on what this investigation reveals because when those findings drop, this won’t just be about Sherrone Moore anymore. It’ll be about whether Michigan’s leadership truly has control of the program.

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