4 Michigan scandals that prove AD Warde Manuel has to go
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The Michigan Wolverines rose back to prominence under the stewardship of former head coach Jim Harbaugh and current athletic director Warde Manuel. The duo, both of whom played for the Wolverines in the 1980s, elevated a team that had fallen to the upper middle class of the Big Ten — a great place to be if you’re Rutgers, but an entirely frustrating spot for a program once a fixture of AP top 10 polls.
Harbaugh was hired in 2015 and departed after winning a national championship in 2023. Manuel was promoted to the top job in 2016 and remains there. Together, they finished in the top 25 in seven of nine years and the top three from 2021 to 2023, bringing the program’s first NCAA title since 1997 in the process.
This ascent was not without controversy.
Harbaugh left Michigan under a cloud of scrutiny and 14 years worth of show-cause penalties from the NCAA to take a job with the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers. His departure failed to dissipate the fog of malfeasance that continues to hang over Ann Arbor. Here are the biggest scandals to take place under Manuel’s stewardship at Michigan.
1. Sherrone Moore is fired for an “inappropriate relationship with a staff member.”
Moore was fired December 10 after “credible evidence was found that Coach Moore engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member,” per a statement from Manuel. He was taken into custody under investigation for potential assault soon after. Moore was Harbaugh’s successor, having served as the interim head coach while Harbaugh served an NCAA suspension (we’ll get there) and taking the lead role in 2024.
2. Connor Stalions’ sign stealing taints the program’s first national championship since 1997
Harbaugh was handed a 10-year show-cause restriction after Stalions, a low-level assistant within the program, was found to be clandestinely stealing opponents’ signs on the field. He even went so far as to sneak onto the Central Michigan sideline in disguise in order to closely scout future opponents and the signals they’d relay from the sideline to the field.
The NCAA’s discipline didn’t end with Harbaugh. Moore was also handed a two-year show-cause penalty and suspended for three games. The program itself was fined 10 percent of its 2025-2026 scholarship value and the expected revenue from 2025 and 2026 postseason appearances — sanctions that could cost the university more than $20 million.
3. Jim Harbaugh’s recruiting violations result in harsh NCAA penalties
Harbaugh was handed a three-game suspension for recruiting violations, perhaps most notably making in-person visits in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic when such interactions were banned. Moore was also handed a one-game suspension for “impermissible contact with recruits.”
4. Offensive coordinator Matt Weiss is fired, arrested and sued for hacking and invasion of privacy
Weiss was fired in 2023 after allegations of hacking and identity theft surfaced, leading to an FBI investigation. In 2025 he was indicted for “hacking into computers at more than 100 universities across the country and stealing the identities of more than 3,300 student athletes.” His targets were mostly female student athletes. The indictment alleges he used these computer systems to gain access to personal photos and other information not intended for the public.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Michigan scandals under Warde Manuel proving AD should be out
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