Former University of Michigan head football coach Sherrone Moore is scheduled to be arraigned Friday in Washtenaw County.
Michigan fired Moore on Wednesday saying a university investigation turned up credible evidence that he "engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member."
That announcement came around the same time that police in Pittsfield Township, just outside Ann Arbor, were responding to an alleged assault. Moore was taken into custody and is being held in the Washtenaw County Jail. The charge or charges against him have not yet been made public.
Michigan Public sports commentator John U. Bacon joined Morning Edition host Doug Tribou to discuss this developing story.
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Doug Tribou: You’ve been talking to your sources at U of M over the past couple of days. What have you learned about how the move to fire Sherrone Moore unfolded?
John U. Bacon: This summer, I know that the university conducted an internal investigation of Sherrone Moore and his employee and - were they having an inappropriate relationship? Both denied it, so they couldn't do much with that, I suppose.
Then on Wednesday morning, she showed up at the central administration building on campus — with the general counsel and others — with the receipts, basically. The text messages, the emails, all the evidence of the relationship and how it had soured, apparently. And at that point, the University of Michigan didn't have much choice, I don't think. So the regents and the president decided that was enough. [Athletic Director] Warde Manuel fired Sherrone Moore in Warde Manuel's office. It's a very, very messy situation, to say the least.
DT: The man who hired Sherrone Moore, and managed his predecessor Jim Harbaugh, is Warde Manuel, who you mentioned. He has been the Michigan athletic director since 2016. Now Manuel has also fired Moore. Where does he fit into all of this?
JUB: Well, that's what I believe the regents are trying to sort out right now. I believe they met [Thursday] to discuss his future with the university. There has been a long list of issues, including the firing of [former U of M basketball coach] Juwan Howard after fighting with a Wisconsin basketball assistant. Jim Harbaugh and Sherrone Moore were suspended multiple times. Then, of course, you've got the Connor Stalions sign-stealing saga, and you've got Matt Weiss, the former quarterback coach who's now being investigated for cyberstalking women on campus. So there's a list, isn't it? And yet, as of [Friday morning], Warde Manuel is still the athletic director at the University of Michigan.
DT: We are going to talk about the on-field ramifications for the Wolverines, but before we do, I want to take a moment here to reiterate these are serious off-the-field concerns in this story — both the investigation into the possibility that an assault happened and U of M’s allegations that Moore was having inappropriate relationship with a staff member. Moore is married. He has three young kids. He was reportedly under a mental health watch while in custody at the Washtenaw County Jail. So, there are much bigger things here than football wins and losses.
With that in mind, the team is also part of the story any time a coach is fired. Associate Coach Biff Poggi has been named the interim coach and will coach the team in the Citrus Bowl against Texas on New Year’s Eve. In your view, what are the biggest impacts of Moore’s firing and the timing of it on the football program?
JUB: Well, first, Doug, well said. This is certainly much bigger than football. But since we are going to discuss football, here we are. They are behind the schedule, if you will, on the musical chairs that is the firing and hiring of the football offseason. Fifteen or 20 positions right now are currently available and some have already been filled. So they may not get their first choice on that one.
Second of all, the bigger question is who is going to make that choice? And that is Warde Manuel. Is Warde Manuel going to be the athletic director? They also have an interim [U of M] president. So, if you're a top candidate somewhere else, are you going to go to a school where you're not sure about the status of the athletic director and the president is interim? Those are your two bosses, basically. So what comes first? President, athletic director, or football coach? Michigan is about to decide.
DT: All of this raises a different set of questions about (quarterback) Bryce Underwood’s future at Michigan and what type of coach would work best with him going forward. Details of his multi-million dollar name, image, likeness deal have not officially been made public, so there are questions about how that could factor in, if he was to consider transferring. What stands out to you about Underwood’s situation?
JUB: He holds the cards. He is still a hotshot candidate. He didn't have a great season, but he's still a five-star quarterback. If they hire a coach that he likes, then he'll probably stay. And if they don't, then he'll probably go. If they take too long, he's also going to go because right now, I guarantee you his phone is blowing up with other schools eager to attract his services. And these days that's totally legal [under NCAA rules]. So he is one of the other wild cards in this situation.
Editor's notes: Some quotes in this article have been lightly edited for length and clarity. You can hear the full interview near the top of this page.
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