Michigan Athletic Department Investigation Finds “Serious Concerns” Amid Sherrone Moore Fallout

The culture of Michigan’s athletic department has come under serious scrutiny following an independent investigation that identified what the university itself is calling “serious concerns.” University president Domenico Grasso described the findings as “unacceptable,” setting off a wave of questions about accountability inside one of college football’s most storied programs. While Michigan declined to release the full investigative documents, citing the privacy of community members who participated, the university issued a news release Monday summarizing what investigators found.

How the Investigation Started

Michigan commissioned the investigation in late 2025 through Jenner & Block, a Chicago-based law firm, after allegations surfaced of an inappropriate relationship between then-head football coach Sherrone Moore and executive assistant Paige Shiver. The university fired Moore in December after determining it had credible evidence of the relationship. Within hours of his termination, Moore was arrested following an alleged incident at the home of a female staff member, and he was later charged with felony home invasion along with additional counts.

Rather than limit the review to the circumstances surrounding Moore’s firing, Michigan’s Board of Regents expanded the scope of the Jenner & Block assignment into a full culture review of the athletic department. At the time, Grasso pledged that the university would act on any new evidence of misconduct, saying the school would leave no stone unturned and would move quickly if further termination-worthy information emerged.

The Scale of the Investigation

The scope of the review turned out to be extensive. According to Michigan’s summary release, Jenner & Block conducted 350 interviews of nearly 300 witnesses, a group that included coaches, athletics staff, athletes, university leaders, and human resources personnel. Investigators also received information from more than 90 individuals through a dedicated investigation hotline and reviewed more than 20,000 documents over the course of the inquiry. That level of scope reflects just how far the university expanded its review once the Moore situation prompted broader questions about oversight across the department.

The investigation has also come with a significant financial cost. Invoices obtained through Michigan’s Freedom of Information Act show the university’s total bill for the Jenner & Block investigation has topped $12 million, a figure that has drawn its own scrutiny as the university weighed how much of the findings to make public.

What Investigators Found

Michigan’s summary indicated the investigation did not find that misconduct was widespread throughout the athletic department. However, it did identify what the university described as weaknesses in accountability, organizational structure, oversight, and reporting — conditions investigators said allowed some instances of misconduct to go unaddressed consistently, promptly, or in line with university expectations.

On the central question of the Moore relationship itself, investigators reported that no current Michigan employee had direct, contemporaneous evidence of the relationship prior to the university’s investigation into Moore. That finding is notable given earlier reporting from the Wall Street Journal indicating that athletic director Warde Manuel had raised concerns about Moore’s relationship with Shiver as far back as August 2024. Even without direct evidence at the time, investigators said the department failed to quickly and effectively act on allegations of wrongdoing by athletic department employees more broadly — a finding directed in part at Manuel’s leadership.

Leadership Fallout

The findings have already led to a significant leadership change. Grasso announced that Manuel asked to step down as athletic director, though at Grasso’s request, Manuel will remain in the role through the end of 2026 before transitioning to an advisory position focused on implementing changes stemming from the report. Michigan’s release noted that Manuel demonstrated real leadership strengths during his tenure, particularly his commitment to student-athletes, even as investigators flagged shortcomings in how allegations were handled under his oversight.

In a video address addressing the findings, Grasso didn’t soften the message, calling the situation unacceptable and saying the university has significant work ahead to restore Michigan athletics to its standing as a model program both on the field and off it.

Ongoing Legal Questions

The investigation’s findings arrive alongside separate legal action tied to the same underlying situation. Shiver filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the university, arguing that Michigan has withheld records related to the Jenner & Block investigation despite repeated requests. Her attorney has publicly pushed for the university to release the full findings and recommendations from the report, arguing that transparency and accountability demand it. Shiver’s lawsuit also raises broader workplace claims tied to her time at the university.

Michigan, for its part, has maintained that releasing the underlying investigative documents would compromise the privacy of the many community members who participated in interviews or came forward through the investigation hotline a tension that’s likely to continue playing out as the FOIA litigation proceeds.

What Comes Next for Michigan Athletics

With the culture review now summarized publicly, the pressure shifts to implementation. Grasso has framed the findings as the starting point for structural changes across the athletic department, and Manuel’s transition into an advisory role focused specifically on those changes suggests the university expects the fallout from this investigation to shape department policy well beyond the coaching search that followed Moore’s firing.

For a program with the national profile of Michigan football, the combination of a coaching firing, a criminal case, an eight-figure investigation, and now a formal acknowledgment of departmental shortcomings represents one of the most turbulent stretches in the athletic department’s recent history. How the university follows through on Grasso’s promise of accountability and whether it eventually faces further pressure to release additional documentation will likely shape the next chapter of this story.

Final Thoughts

Michigan’s decision to expand a single coaching investigation into a full culture review of its athletic department has produced findings the university itself isn’t trying to downplay. With serious concerns identified, a departing athletic director, and ongoing legal battles over transparency, the fallout from the Sherrone Moore situation is far from resolved. As Michigan works to rebuild trust in its athletic department, the findings released this week are likely just the first step in a much longer process of institutional change.