What’s Going On at Michigan? A Simple Guide to the Athletics Mess

Editor’s Note

Michigan announced conclusions from the Jenner & Block investigation on Monday, and athletic director Warde Manuel will step down at the end of the year.

A Weird Few Months at Michigan

Imagine your school is like a big kid’s club, and the grown-ups in charge keep having strange meetings. Here’s what happened:

• At the June meeting of Michigan’s board of regents (a group that helps run the school), a woman named Denise Ilitch — who is part of the family that owns Little Caesars pizza and the Detroit Tigers and Red Wings sports teams — said the board would meet in July to talk about “the future of athletics.”
• After many months and about $12 million spent on outside investigations (like hiring detectives), people really needed an honest talk.
• Instead, at Thursday’s meeting in Traverse City, folks watching online heard weird facts about acorn ants’ nesting habits, then loud buzzing sounds, and the video stopped. That was another weird week for Michigan, a school that seems to lead the country in weirdness.

Why This Matters: The Investigation Everyone Is Waiting For

Michigan can’t agree on what to do with the findings (results) of the Jenner & Block investigations into:

• former football coach Sherrone Moore,
• his relationship with a staff member, and
• the bigger culture of the athletic department.

After the Thursday meeting, school president Domenico Grasso told MLive that leaders are “still thinking” about whether to share those findings with the public. Meanwhile, athletic director Warde Manuel is left waiting and unsure.

Important Point: Michigan has spent $12 million on investigations but still hasn’t shown the public what was found. This makes it hard for anyone to know what really happened.

One Simple Way to Move On

If Michigan wants to stop the mess around Moore, here is one clear path:

1. Release the Jenner & Block findings with only tiny blackouts (redactions) of private info.
2. Make a decision about Manuel’s future and support it.
3. “Rip off the Band-Aid” — just do it fast — so new football coach Kyle Whittingham can coach his first season without old bad news popping up.

So far, Michigan has not done this. The school says the investigation papers are “privileged and confidential” (private lawyer talk). The Wall Street Journal reported that Manuel told Moore not to travel with his executive assistant in August 2024, but we don’t know why. Without the full story, fans can’t decide if Manuel should keep his job.

Promises vs. Trust

When Moore was fired and arrested, Michigan said it would “leave no stone unturned” (check everything). That sounds good. But asking fans to believe the conclusions without showing the work needs trust Michigan hasn’t built.

Important Point: Michigan owes it to everyone — including Manuel — to be open about what the investigation found.

Two Sides, Both With a Point

Right now, Michigan has two groups:

• One group wants Manuel gone. They think a weaker leader would have been fired after earlier scandals.
• One group wants him to stay. They think the noise about his job is a plan to push him out.

Both sides see real problems, and neither is fully wrong.

This week, social media said Manuel was negotiating his exit. Manuel said he talked with the school but told Yahoo Sports there were “no plans for me not to continue” as AD soon. The more people push him, the more he stays.

A Long Wait With No Answer

It’s not good that this took so long. Michigan could have decided Manuel’s future in December but waited for the investigation, knowing it would judge his leadership. Leaders have seen the findings but still hesitate in public.

If Michigan had a reason to fire Manuel for cause (a real rule break), they’d likely have done it. Manuel says he did right. Unless the report says otherwise, they must decide if an “unflattering” report is enough to act.

The Sherrone Moore Hiring Problem

Many ask: did Michigan know enough to fire Moore before his assistant, Paige Shiver, shared their relationship in December 2025?

• The Wall Street Journal says Jenner & Block found Moore’s physical relationship with Shiver started in 2022, when he was assistant coach and she was an intern.
• He became head coach two years later.
• A careful check should have shown a hint of this, maybe making Michigan look at other coaches.

Michigan promoted Moore to replace Jim Harbaugh without interviewing outside people. After a national championship, they could have picked anyone. The “safe” choice was actually a big risk.

Important Point: The decision to hire Moore without outside interviews looks like a major mistake, but that doesn’t automatically mean Manuel should be fired.

What Should Happen Now?

Michigan has options, like a plan where Manuel stays until a new president comes. But whatever they pick, they must decide and say it soon — for Manuel, the new coach, and fans who want peace.

For $12 million in legal bills, fans deserve closure. Michigan owes them that.

Summary

Michigan spent $12 million investigating former coach Sherrone Moore and its athletics culture. The results are hidden, and athletic director Warde Manuel’s job is unclear. A simple fix is to share the report, decide on Manuel, and move on. Two sides argue about him, and the Moore hiring looks flawed. Fans just want a decision and closure.

FAQ

1. Who is Warde Manuel?
He is Michigan’s athletic director, the person in charge of sports teams at the school. He will step down at the end of the year.

2. What is the Jenner & Block investigation?
It is a private look by a law firm into former football coach Sherrone Moore, his relationship with a staff member, and the athletics department’s culture.

3. Why hasn’t Michigan shared the findings?
The school says the documents are private under attorney-client privilege (lawyer-secret rules).

4. What did Sherrone Moore do?
He had a relationship with staffer Paige Shiver starting in 2022 when she was an intern, and he later became head coach. He was fired and arrested.

5. How can Michigan fix this simply?
Release the report with minimal redactions, decide Manuel’s future, and announce it quickly.