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Michigan interim head coach Biff Poggi revealed this week that his players are battling emotions of betrayal and anger ahead of their bowl game appearance in the wake of the scandal involving former coach Sherrone Moore.
In his first media availability after Moore was fired last week and subsequently jailed on three charges, including felony breaking and entering, Poggi told media that he has been helping players through the process after the university revealed that Moore had been fired for having an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.
Michigan interim head coach Biff Poggi answers a question during an NCAA college football Citrus Bowl news conference in Winter Park, Florida, Dec. 15, 2025, prior to his team’s New Year’s Eve appearance against Texas in the bowl in Orlando, Florida. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP)
“It’s been a tumultuous time,” Poggi said, via ESPN. “A lot… first disbelief, then anger, then really, what we’re going through now is the kids, frankly, feel very betrayed, and we’re trying to get past that.”
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Poggi, who previously took over as coach this season while Moore was serving a self-imposed suspension for previous NCAA infractions, said he is doing his part through his actions “because words are cheap and that takes a lot of time. What it really takes is being willing to listen.”
Moore appeared in Washtenaw County court on Friday, where his bond was set at $25,000 and included several conditions, including having no contact with the alleged victim in the case. He was declared innocent.
Prosecutors detailed the alleged events leading up to Moore’s arrest on Wednesday, including that Moore had engaged in an “intimate relationship” with the Michigan employee for “several years” and that on Monday the woman broke up with him.
Then-Michigan Wolverines head coach Sherrone Moore watches during the college football game between the Michigan Wolverines and the Illinois Fighting Illini on October 19, 2024, at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois. (Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
SHERRONE MOORE FACE STALKING AND HOME INVASION CHARGES AS PROSECUTORS DETAIL DISTURBING ALLEGATIONS
Prosecutors accused Moore of contacting the employee through phone calls and text messages after the breakup, prompting the victim to contact the University of Michigan and cooperate in its investigation. Moore was subsequently fired from his position as a football coach, which prosecutors say led him to show up at the woman’s home.
Moore then allegedly “broke into” the residence, grabbed a butter knife and a pair of scissors, and then began threatening his own life. According to prosecutors, Moore allegedly told the employee, “my blood is on your hands” and “you ruined my life.”
The University of Michigan hired a law firm to investigate the situation independently, and sources told The Associated Press that the investigation will expand beyond the football program to include the athletics department.
Michigan is scheduled to face Texas in the Citrus Bowl on December 31. Poggi said this week that players have been given the opportunity to decide if they want to participate in the game.
Michigan interim head coach Biff Poggi watches his team play Nebraska during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Sept. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Rebecca S. Gratz, File)
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“They’re not done yet, and I don’t expect them to be done for a while. The mandate that Warde Manuel gave me as athletic director when he asked me to be the interim coach was to love and take care of the kids, and that’s what I spend all my time doing.”
The implications of the latest scandal to hit Michigan’s program will likely go beyond this season’s bowl game.
Of the 27 prospects who signed commitments to play football there less than two weeks ago, at least two have already requested and obtained a release from Michigan.
