What did Michigan investigation uncover about Sherrone Moore, Warde Manuel conduct?
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The University of Michigan released a summary of the findings of an investigation into its athletic department, triggered by the firing of former football coach Sherrone Moore in December of 2025. The findings were published on the university’s public affairs website on Monday, June 20, after the school announced the pending departure of athletic director Warde Manuel.
The investigation, conducted by Jenner & Block LLP, cost the university more than $12 million. Manuel is set to step down at the end of the calendar year from his post, which he has held since January of 2016.
“With the investigation and culture review concluded, the University is moving forward with implementation of recommendations designed to strengthen integrity, accountability, compliance and organizational effectiveness,” Michigan wrote on its public affairs website. “While documents related to the investigation and culture review remain confidential in order to protect the privacy of witnesses who participated, safeguard the confidentiality of the investigative process, and preserve attorney-client privilege, the information below reflects the principal facts of the investigation and culture review, recommendations, and the actions the University is taking to implement them.”
As noted by the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, Jenner & Block was brought on shortly after the firing of Moore for cause for an alleged “inappropriate relationship” with his executive assistant, Paige Shiver, and expanded into a more wide-ranging look at the athletic department culture as a whole.
Moore was fired on December 10, 2025 after the university found “credible evidence “that “he had “engaged in an inappropriate relationship” with Shriver. He was arrested after his firing after allegedly going inside the house of the Shriver and blaming her for him losing his job. He faced three charges — a felony count of home invasion and two misdemeanors — but after a no-contest plea was ultimately was sentenced to 18 months of probation in a Michigan court on April 14.
“The University terminated former Head Football Coach Sherrone Moore on Dec. 10, 2025, after establishing the fact of his undisclosed workplace relationship with a direct report, which violated University policy,” Michigan wrote on the website about the investigation’s conclusion regarding Moore. “Outside investigators did not identify any current University employee with direct, contemporaneous evidence of the relationship.”
The summary of the report mentioned that the culture review of the Wolverines football program’s prominence and organizational structure created “unique oversight challenges” during the investigation, which included 350 interviews of nearly 300 witnesses and a review of more than 20,000 documents.
“As the Department’s most visible program with the largest roster, coaching staff, and support organization, football requires particularly strong oversight and accountability,” it read. “The culture review concluded that existing oversight mechanisms were not sufficiently effective and recommended strengthening leadership oversight, clarifying responsibilities, enhancing reporting relationships and improving compliance processes.
Manuel’s tenure has included multiple scandals within the athletic department, most notably football and men’s hockey. The football program was investigated twice by the NCAA under Manuel’s leadership during the Jim Harbaugh era in Ann Arbor, which included a laundry list of show-cause orders on staffers, punishments handed to the Wolverines and a plethora of violations, including Level I violations, the most serious ones handed out by the NCAA.
“The culture review found that Warde Manuel demonstrated important leadership strengths, particularly his commitment to student-athletes. At the same time, it identified failures to quickly and effectively act on allegations of wrongdoing by Athletic Department employees,” Michigan wrote on the website regarding the findings on Manuel.
Michigan is not expected to release the full report, citing the need to protect participants’ privacy, promote witnesses’ willingness to cooperate in future investigations, preserve investigative integrity, and maintain attorney-client privilege.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What did Michigan investigation uncover about Sherrone Moore, Warde Manuel conduct?
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