Michigan hid evidence of multiple scandals, former coach lawsuit says
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A former Michigan football coach claims the university was working to hide details of its sign-stealing scandal and also knew about former head coach Sherrone Moore’s affair with a staff member for years before it led to his firing.
Former Wolverines linebackers coach Chris Partridge sued the university, athletic director Warde Manuel and U-M’s Board of Regents for wrongful termination after he was fired during Michigan’s elaborate sign-stealing scandal led by assistant Connor Stalions in 2023. The now-linebackers coach for the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks was cleared of wrongdoing by the NCAA and was never alleged to have known about the sign-stealing system.
Partridge sued the university back in March, but the filing was updated in June and features 20 more pages of documents, also adding former Michigan president Santa Ono and Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti as defendants. His claims have been brought back to light after Manuel’s future with the school is reportedly in doubt amid a third-party investigation into the athletic department from law firm Jenner & Block, according to multiple reports July 12.
A Michigan Board of Regents meeting is set for Thursday, July 16, and Manuel’s status is believed to be decided before then, according to reports.
Partridge’s lawsuit contains numerous allegations of the school’s attempt to cover up scandal, including the following, according to the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, who obtained the documents:
- “Manuel and other leaders allegedly knew about Moore’s relationship with a staff member “for years without taking action to protect the employee.”
- “Ono allegedly hid key findings of a private law firm’s investigation into then-assistant football coach Matthew Weiss. Federal prosecutors say Weiss illegally used school devices and other equipment to inappropriately obtain thousands of student photos, records and other personal information. Weiss denies engaging in criminal conduct.”
- “Ono allegedly directed a handful of key people – including Manuel – to take no notes or any other records of their meeting with the law firm when it presented the findings of its investigation.”
- “Ono and Manuel never, “reported the evidence of cheating found on Weiss’s computer, the law firm’s involvement, or the results of the investigation to the Board of Regents, the Compliance Services Office, or the NCAA … [and] failed to hold itself accountable for the ‘sign-stealing’ scheme, in violation of both its NCAA requirements,” the lawsuit states.”
Partridge claims the school used him as a “scapegoat” amid the NCAA’s investigation into the program. The lawsuit also states the university didn’t push back on allegations that Partridge was destroying evidence during the sign-stealing investigation, despite he not having knowledge of the situation.
He also stated he was ultimately fired for telling a player to get a lawyer, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Ono has since left the school, as he originally left to pursue the same job at the University of Florida, although his candidacy was denied despite being the lone finalist for the position. He now is an executive at the Ellison Institute of Technology, which was founded by billionaire Larry Ellison, a mega-donor of Michigan athletics.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Michigan hid evidence of multiple scandals, former coach lawsuit says
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