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Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel speaks as a broad review of the football program unfolds following the firing of Sherrone Moore.
Last year, an investigation determined that Moore was involved in an “inappropriate relationship with a staff member.”
It was later revealed that Moore’s former assistant was part of the relationship. The fallout from the scandal ultimately left Michigan’s top athletics official feeling “betrayed.”
“I felt betrayed. That’s the best word I can use,” Manuel told the Detroit News.
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Former Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore appears in a courtroom in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on Jan. 22, 2026. (José Juárez/AP)
Manuel said the situation struck a personal chord and had broader consequences for those around the program.
“It was personal, but it was also, I want to emphasize, for so many people who were affected by this… There are a lot of people who claim to be insensitive, who say, ‘Oh, you should have fired him when the rumor was there.’ But you can’t fire people just because of rumors without evidence. So when the evidence was presented, there was a sense of betrayal and pain for everyone who was going to be involved in a decision.”
FORMER MICHIGAN COACH SHERRONE MOORE RECEIVES PUNISHMENT FOR STALKING CASE ARISING OUT OF FIRING
Manuel seemed to dodge questions about who started the investigation: whether it was his decision or that of the Board of Regents. He also criticized the way he has been portrayed, defending the show’s broader culture.
University of Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore stands with Warde Manuel, the school’s athletic director, during a news conference at the Junge Family Champions Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on Jan. 27, 2024. (David Rodríguez Muñoz/USA Today Network)
“It was fine if that was the direction they wanted to go,” Warde Manuel said. “What I haven’t appreciated… is in the context of an investigation into the culture here. Regardless of how people want to put it, what I want is for people to understand that 99.9% of the people here are doing things the right way… We’ve had our problems and we’re not perfect, and I don’t know of any organization that doesn’t have problems and people problems.”
Amid speculation about his own role, Manuel rejected the idea that he is under investigation.
Michigan Wolverines athletic director Warde Manuel walks onto the field before a game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Wrigley Field in Chicago on Nov. 15, 2025. (Ben Hsu/Sportswire Icon)
“That’s not how I see it, no. Listen, it’s easy for people to say, well, Warde is the leader and therefore this is not just a review, it’s an investigation of what the leader has done. That’s not, to me, what I’m going to get out of this… And I’m not claiming that I can’t be better… We’ve had our problems, we address them and we try to get better every time.”
Manuel declined to comment on Sherrone Moore’s sentencing and instead expressed his support and hope that everyone can move forward.
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“I want Sherrone to get through this and move forward for him and his family, so I don’t have a reaction to the sentence itself, but rather a reaction to him as a person… I want him and everyone affected to be able to get over it, move on, learn from it and be better. That’s the way I think about it. I don’t judge any of the outcomes or the things he’s going through.”
Moore faced up to five years in prison on burglary and harassment charges after his dismissal from Michigan. He avoided jail after pleading guilty to lesser charges and was ordered to have no contact with his former assistant.
Kyle Whittingham left Utah to replace Moore as Michigan’s head coach.
