Fired University of Michigan head football coach Sherrone Moore received an 18-month probation sentence over his December 10 arrest for confronting his former mistress and personal assistant at her apartment.
Judge J. Cedric Simpson did order prison sentences of 180 days and 30 days, but the terms were both suspended, meaning the 40-year-old Moore won’t have to go to jail if he abides by the terms of his probation. As Simpson told the Defendant: ‘I don’t believe incarceration would be an appropriate sentence.’
Moore is required to pay court fees and fines totaling $1,100, avoid alcohol and other drugs, continue to undergo mental health treatment, and avoid any form of contact with Paige Shiver, the former mistress and personal assistant who called the police on him on December 10.
The disgraced coach landed a huge victory in court last month when charges of home invasion, stalking, and breaking and entering against him were dismissed as part of an agreement with prosecutors. In exchange, Moore pleaded no contest to misdemeanor counts of trespassing and malicious use of a telecom device in a relationship.
Moore was fired on December 10 after the school became aware of his affair with the 32-year-old Shiver. He was later arrested near an apartment belonging to Shiver after police received a 911 call claiming he’d burst into her residence and threatened to harm himself.
On Tuesday, Simpson delivered a stirring address in Washtenaw County, identifying Moore’s wife, Kelli, as the ‘person saving him from the full wrath of this court.’
Former University of Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore and his wife Kelli Moore walk into the courtroom of Judge J. Cedric Simpson, who later thanked her for her strength
Moore is seen hugging his wife, whom the judge credited for keeping the coach out of jail
Paige Shiver, Moore’s former assistant and alleged ex-mistress, no longer works at Michigan
‘The letter that she wrote to the court certainly had the biggest impact on this court and what I should impose,’ Simpson said.
‘I am amazed by you, Ms. Moore. I truly am,’ Simpson said. ‘I think, in all honesty, we need more people like you in this world.’
Prior to his sentencing, Moore thanked Kelli for standing by him throughout this ordeal.
‘Your Honor, first of all, I want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for the grace and guidance during this difficult time,’ Moore said. ‘I want to thank my beautiful wife, Kelly, for her support, her strength, and standing by me.’
But Tuesday’s hearing wasn’t just about redemption. Simpson admonished Moore for his behavior on December 10, when he burst into Shiver’s apartment using the door code she’d previously given him.
‘I know that she was placed in fear,’ Simpson said of Shiver, referring to her by name. ‘It was a traumatic experience that day for you. It was certainly a traumatic experience for her, but you had no right to spread your pain to her.’
Moore has been hoping to turn the page on the incident, but the married father of three was thrust back into the spotlight late last month when footage surfaced showing him blaming the entire ordeal on Shiver.
‘I have to spend a night in jail because she lied,’ Moore told officers from a Michigan hospital, where he was undergoing a mental health evaluation. ‘I never did anything to her. She straight up lied. She ruined my life… She’s lying. I wanted to get rid of her and she said I couldn’t because she’d sue me.’
Moore found a sympathetic audience with Michigan police, one of whom offered to call the coach ‘Mr. Moore.’ Another even gave Moore a supportive hug as he was getting out of the police cruiser.
At one point, an emotional officer told Moore he was ‘trying not to cry with you,’ and when the fired coach said ‘it’s always the women that try to do this s***,’ the cop on hand was quick to agree.
‘I understand, I’ve been doing this for 15 years,’ he said. ‘I can relate to you.’
On Tuesday, Simpson also admonished the police’s treatment of Moore when he was a suspect in their custody on December 10.
‘I want to make it real clear… the individual that did that was a member of the Sheriff’s office,’ Simpson said. ‘He is not a member of the court. Is in no way the
Aside from obtaining information about the incident, the officers seemed primarily concerned with Moore’s threats about harming himself.
Moore acknowledged bringing scissors to her apartment, where he admittedly grabbed butter knives, but he insisted he never pointed them at his assistant.
‘I did not hold anything to her, touch her, and that’s when I drove on,’ Moore said. ‘That’s when I left. I drove and I was gonna harm [myself].’
Referencing the coach’s daughters, the officer stressed the importance that Moore remain in their lives as they grow older.
