The University of Michigan is expected to make a decision on athletic director Warde Manuel’s fate in the coming days following the scandal surrounding former football coach Sherrone Moore, according to a report.
Married father-of-three Moore, 40, lost his job as head coach of the Michigan Wolverines due to an ‘inappropriate relationship’ with a staffer before being arrested over an alleged assault in the space of a dramatic few hours in December.
Following the shocking events, the school launched an independent investigation into the practices and culture of its athletics department.
The findings of the probe, which was initiated in December, are expected to be discussed by Michigan chiefs on Thursday, according to ESPN.
As part of the review, a decision on Manuel’s future is expected to be made, following a string of controversies under his tenure.
Jenner & Block, the Chicago-based law firm that opened a previous inquiry into Moore’s conduct, was hired by the school to carry out the latest probe in the wake of the coach’s firing late last year.
Michigan is expected to make a decision on athletic director Warde Manuel’s fate this week
An investigation was launched after football head coach Sherrone Moore was accused of an affair with staffer Paige Shiver, who served as his executive assistant at the time
Moore was accused of confronting staffer Paige Shiver, with whom he had been having an affair, and blaming her for his firing. Authorities said she had previously ended the affair and spoken to school officials about it.
The coach was accused of barging his way through Shiver’s door, grabbing butter knives and scissors before threatening to kill himself. The 40-year-old father of three was arrested and charged with home invasion and stalking as well as breaking and entering.
Moore pleaded no contest to trespassing and malicious use of a telecom device and was placed on probation in April for 18 months.
It wasn’t the first scandal to rock the school’s athletic department in recent years – albeit it was the most shocking.
In March 2025, former offensive coordinator Matt Weiss was charged with hacking and accused by federal prosecutors of stealing thousands of private, intimate images of student-athletes. Weiss pleaded not guilty to all 24 charges.
Director of football operations Jim Minick and assistant coaches Denard Robinson and Greg Scruggs were all arrested over DUI.
In 2018, meanwhile, Michigan’s ex-director of performance science, Fergus Connolly, was arrested for DUI – but was also hit with multiple counts of assaulting/resisting/obstructing a police officer. After being transported to a hospital, Connolly allegedly attempted to bite someone. He later pleaded no contest to five of the nine misdemeanor charges against him, with prosecutors dropping other counts.
In 2023, Glenn ‘Shemy’ Schembechler – the son of longtime Michigan coach Bo Schembechler – resigned three days after he was hired.
Moore, pictured in court with his wife Kelli, was fired by the Michigan Wolverines in December
Moore has been married to his wife, Kelli, since 2015. They have three daughters together
Shiver has now launched a lawsuit of her own against the University of Michigan, seeking requested records and punitive damages
Michigan was also hit with NCAA sanctions over the sign-stealing scheme orchestrated by former football staffer Connor Stalions.
However, Michigan has also seen a lot of success under Manuel’s tenure. The football team won the national championship in January 2024 under then-head coach Jim Harbaugh, who subsequently left the program to join the Los Angeles Chargers.
The men’s basketball program also won the national title earlier this year, while both the men’s and women’s gymnastics have also won national titles while Manuel has been athletic director.
Last week, Shiver filed a lawsuit against the school, four months after she quietly left her position in the athletics department.
Her attorneys filed a lawsuit – which has been viewed by the Daily Mail – in a Washtenaw County court, arguing that the school is willfully withholding records relating to a $12 million investigation into the scandal.
In the suit, Shiver – who is seeking requested records and punitive damages – claims the school violated the Freedom of Information Act by denying requests made on her behalf after the football coach was fired for having an inappropriate relationship with her.
‘It was important for our client to file this initial FOIA lawsuit to ensure the truth and facts come out,’ attorney Andrew M. Stroth said in a statement to the Daily Mail.
School spokesman Paul Corliss declined comment at the time.
