University of Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel under investigation following football fallout

An internal investigation into the University of Michigan’s disgraced former football coach Sherrone Moore has been expanded to include the schools’ long-embattled athletics department under director Warde Manuel, according to the Detroit Free Press.

The Black Catholic college official has come under intense public scrutiny this month following the firing—and later arrest—of Moore following revelations of an illicit affair with a university staffer, which was revealed after the team’s disappointing 2025 regular season. 

According to the school, Moore was fired immediately after the discovery of the affair. Just hours later, he was arrested in Saline, Michigan, after allegedly breaking into the home of a female university employee and fleeing the scene. The employee is believed to have been in a relationship with Moore, a married father of three, for several years before a breakup earlier this month.

“This breach of trust by Coach Moore is painful for many in our community, first and foremost, the individuals directly involved in this situation,” said university president Dr. Domenico Grasso in a statement on Dec. 11.

“Yet our swift and decisive action reflects the University’s staunch commitment to a campus culture of respect, integrity and accountability.”

Now out on bail, Moore is charged with felony home invasion as well as misdemeanor stalking, with Washtenaw County assistant prosecutor Kati Rezmierski alleging that Moore threatened suicide in the presence of the unnamed university staffer while blaming her for his firing.

Additionally, Manuel and the school’s athletic department are rumored to have had prior knowledge of Moore’s mental health struggles and alleged harassment of the staffer, who ended their relationship on Dec. 8. Repeated and unsolicited calls and texts from Moore thereafter are said to have led to her confession to school officials ahead of his termination as head football coach on Dec. 10. 

Manuel fired Moore in a one-on-one meeting that day despite being aware of his possible mental instability, according to NBC News correspondent Nicole Auerbach. 

The scandal is only the latest to emerge under Manuel, a New Orleans native and Wolverine alumnus who was hired as the university's athletic director in 2016. He previously served as associate AD from 2000 to 2005, when it was first revealed that university booster Ed Martin had paid several men’s basketball players hundreds of thousands of dollars in illicit loans and gifts in the 1980s and 1990s.

Since becoming head of the university’s athletics department, Manuel has faced criticism for his hiring of numerous coaches who have gone on to engage in misconduct. These include former men’s basketball head coach Juwan Howard, former men’s hockey coach Mel Pearson, former men’s head football coach Jim Harbaugh, former men’s football offensive coordinator Matt Weiss, and now Moore, among others.

While some have called for Manuel’s firing in the past over a perceived lack of institutional control, the controversy surrounding his continued employment in Ann Arbor has reached a fever pitch following the firing and arrest of Moore—who is also accused of making unwanted advances toward other women online, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Manuel himself has largely remained mum on Moore, releasing a short statement following his firing but before his arrest. Despite previous scandals, Manuel suggested the school does not permit inappropriate behavior from its coaches.

“This conduct constitutes a clear violation of University policy,” he said, “and U-M maintains zero tolerance for such behavior.”

Nate Tinner-Williams is co-founder and editor of Black Catholic Messenger.

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