Regardless of one’s love or hatred for the program, Michigan’s fight song is a catchy tune.
The thing about a catchy, iconic fight song is that it makes it easy for rivals to parody. There’s a fairly famous parody of “(Hail to) The Victors” that a decent chunk of Michigan State and Ohio State loyalists know well. It’s been around for decades. It includes words that can’t all be listed in this article.
In the original version, the lines “Hail! Hail! To Michigan, the champions of the West” finish the primary eight-bar refrain. The parody switches out “champions” for “cesspool.” The cesspool of the West.
There is no better word to describe what’s transpired off the field for Michigan’s football program, and in some instances, the athletic department or university at large, over the past four years. A cesspool. A festering wound. A rotten smell. Scandal after scandal after scandal has rocked them, with at least nine that are directly tied to the football team in the last three years alone.
No blueblood football school is without its warts. Scandals emerge. Ohio State has dealt with a few in the past decade, namely the domestic violence allegations against Zach Smith that led to the firing of the former wide receivers coach and the three-week suspension of former head coach Urban Meyer and former athletic director Gene Smith. Smith was not charged with domestic violence in the aftermath, but he was sentenced to 180 days in jail for violating a civil protection order filed against him by his ex-wife, Courtney.
On a much larger and more grotesque scale, decades of sexual abuse of male athletes by former university doctor Richard Strauss from 1979 through 1998 were uncovered in 2018.
This isn’t a claim of moral high ground for Ohio State or any of the other big-time football teams out there. But it’s been a nonstop cycle of off-field disgrace for the Wolverines post-COVID. To the extent that it warrants a dedicated story to recount.
Sherrone Moore’s firing for an inappropriate relationship with a staff member and subsequent arraignment on charges of home invasion, stalking and illegal entry is the latest in the saga and feels like a tipping point, where many of the staffers connected to the Connor Stalions-orchestrated illegal advanced scouting and sign-stealing operation have been and will be flushed from Michigan. It could spell the end of athletic director Warde Manuel. Really, it should.
Warde Manuel (Photo: Kevin Jairaj – Imagn Images)
Here are all the scandals that have surrounded Michigan football and the university in the last four years.
Content warning: The following section contains details of sexual assault and suicide that may be disturbing to some readers.
May 2021: Full report released detailing sexual assault and abuse by former team physician Richard Anderson
More than 1,000 people have alleged sexual abuse or assault by former Michigan doctor Richard Anderson, a team physician from 1966 through 1999 and a member of Michigan University Medicine until 2003. He died in 2008. As with Strauss at Ohio State, who died by suicide in 2005, the vile worm Anderson never faced trial for his crimes.
The investigation into Anderson’s abuses began in July 2018 when former Michigan wrestler Thomas “Tad” DeLuca wrote a letter to Manuel detailing the abuses he suffered at the hands of Anderson in the 1970s. During several visits, some for cold sores on his face and others for a dislocated elbow, Anderson performed physical examinations of DeLuca’s genitals and rectum without explanation. The letter stated that many other athletes had experienced similar abuses from Dr. “Drop Your Drawers” Anderson. The University’s Title IX department opened an investigation, which was later turned over to the law firm WilmerHale for an independent inquiry.
WilmerHale found that Anderson “engaged in sexual misconduct with patients on countless occasions” during his 37 years as a university employee. In addition to the unnecessary, invasive and inappropriate examinations like those he performed on DeLuca, Anderson was found on countless occasions to have stimulated male athletes to ejaculation without their consent and to have coerced sexual contact, such as oral sex, from students in exchange for medical services. From the report:
“Dr. Anderson’s misconduct prompted some student athletes to quit their teams; it caused some students to question their sexuality; it caused some students to seek counseling; it affected some students’ academics, including some who left the University; and it undoubtedly affected other students in myriad ways. The trauma that Dr. Anderson’s misconduct caused persists to this day.”
In January 2022, the University of Michigan agreed to a $490 million settlement with 1,050 survivors of Anderson’s abuse. It’s unclear the extent to which Bo Schembechler, Michigan’s football coach for most of Anderson’s tenure, knew of the trauma the so-called doctor inflicted on his players. But he at least knew of some of it, allegedly. As did other members of the athletic department.
WilmerHale received testimony from a football player who came to Schembechler after Anderson, then the University Health Service director, fondled his testicles and gave him a rectal examination during a routine physical examination in 1976. He told Schembechler that he no longer wanted to receive examinations from Anderson and that “things were going down there that weren’t right.” According to the athlete, Schembechler responded by saying that annual physicals were required to play football. The patient continued to receive exams from Anderson and reported no further misconduct.
In total, the investigation found eight instances where athletes reported Anderson’s misconduct to Michigan Athletic Department personnel. Three of those were alleged reports to Schembechler. One account stated that Schembechler told a student-athlete to “toughen up,” and the player told Michigan’s Department of Public Safety and Security that “you do not mess with Bo, and the matter was dropped.”
No conclusive evidence of a large-scale cover-up of Anderson’s actions was found. At the very least, Schembechler, fellow coaches and the athletic department as a whole failed to protect its student-athletes for decades.
January 2022: University president Mark Schlissel fired for inappropriate sexual relationship with employee
Ryan Garza/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
In December 2021, the Michigan Board of Regents received a complaint that university president Mark Schlissel was engaged in a sexual relationship with one of his subordinates. A brief investigation uncovered a years-long affair where Schlissel used his university email to send and receive inappropriate messages to and from the subordinate. He was fired in January 2022.
August 2022: Michigan hockey coach Mel Pearson fired for alleged misconduct, lying to investigators
A formal complaint about the conduct of Michigan hockey head coach Mel Pearson emerged before the 2021-22 season, and the school elected not to renew his contract for 2022-23 after a full investigation into his program revealed a toxic culture and potential violations of university codes.
WilmerHale again handled the investigation and found that, in multiple instances, team leadership acted unprofessionally and bullied female staff. In particular, there were several complaints about the behavior of director of player personnel Rick Bancroft toward female staff, and that a fear of retaliation from Pearson against anyone who spoke out about it “permeated” the program. There were also multiple accounts stating that Pearson and staff instructed players to lie on COVID-19 contact tracing forms and to NCAA personnel so that they could participate in the 2021 NCAA men’s ice hockey tournament.
Following Pearson’s firing, Manuel released the following statement through the university:
"This decision has been weighed heavily and for some time. We welcomed an independent third-party review into the climate and culture of our program before furthering our assessment in lockstep with campus leadership. Our student-athletes having a positive and meaningful experience is of paramount importance, and a clear expectation within our department is that all employees and staff are valued and supported. I deeply appreciate and value the many individuals who came forward throughout this review."
October 2022: Defensive tackle Mazi Smith arrested on gun charges
On October 7, 2022, first-team All-Big Ten Michigan defensive tackle Mazi Smith was stopped by officers, who discovered a Glock 19 pistol and loaded magazines in his truck. Originally hit with a felony weapons charge that could have landed him up to five years in prison, Smith pleaded down to a misdemeanor weapons charge and was sentenced to one year of probation and 40 hours of community service.
Smith claimed that he was “days away” from obtaining his concealed carry permit at the time of his arrest. Michigan never suspended him, and he was selected in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft by the Dallas Cowboys.
January 2023: Co-offensive coordinator Matt Weiss fired for computer crimes after hacking into private accounts of female student-athletes
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
The 2023, 2024 and 2025 calendar years brought constant scandal to the Michigan football program. The first month of 2023 produced the grossest.
University of Michigan police received a report of “computer access crimes” that occurred between Dec. 21 and 23 at Schembechler Hall, Michigan’s football facility. Public records showed the complaint was for someone “accessing university email accounts without authorization.” That someone was Wolverine co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Matt Weiss.
Placed on administrative leave on Jan. 17, 2023, Weiss was fired three days later. Law enforcement had already raided his home on Jan. 10. Following a two-year criminal investigation, the full details of Weiss’ alleged crimes were revealed. Between approximately 2015 and his termination in January 2023, he gained unauthorized access to student-athlete databases of over 100 colleges and universities that a third-party vendor maintained.
From there, Weiss downloaded the personally identifiable information and medical records of more than 150,000 athletes, which he used to access the social media, email and cloud storage of more than 2,000 “target athletes” and another 1,300 alumni and students from schools across the country.
Once he had access, he downloaded intimate photos of those athletes, students and alumni that were never meant to be shared beyond their intimate partners. He targeted female student-athletes, specifically. He targeted them for "their school affiliation, athletic history, and physical characteristics" and later, if he found photos or videos, on "their bodies and their sexual preferences," per his indictment.
Weiss was charged with a 24-count indictment, including 14 charges of unauthorized access to computers and 10 charges of aggravated identity theft. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment on each charge of unauthorized computer access and two years on each charge of identity theft.
January 2023: NCAA sends Michigan Notice of Allegations for Level I and II violations during COVID-19
While the FBI investigated Weiss, the NCAA launched the first of what would be two large-scale investigations into Michigan football in 2023. In January of that year, the Wolverines received a Notice of Allegations from the NCAA alleging four Level-II violations and a Level-I violation, the highest level possible, against former head coach Jim Harbaugh for lying to NCAA investigators. Hours before the notice hit, Harbaugh put out a strange statement through Michigan football’s Twitter (now X) that he “expected” to be the Wolverines’ head coach through 2023.
A Michigan Man through and through.#GoBlue pic.twitter.com/ZLZiCSw8AG
— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) January 5, 2023
The Level-II recruiting violations included meeting with two recruits during a COVID-19 dead period, using too many coaches at practice sessions and watching player workouts over a video feed. Harbaugh reportedly bought a cheeseburger for a prospect on Michigan’s campus, an interaction he misled investigators about, resulting in his Level-I citation. That also coined the scandal’s nickname: “Burgergate.”
Michigan self-imposed a three-game suspension at the start of 2023 for Harbaugh, then in April 2024, the NCAA came down with a few additional punishments: Three years of probation for the program, a fine and recruiting restrictions. Harbaugh and four other staff members involved in the violations also received a one-year show-cause order.
May 2023: Assistant director of football recruiting Glenn Schembechler resigns after social media activity that “caused concern and pain”
Glenn “Shemy” Schembechler, the son of Bo Schembechler, resigned three days after announcing he’d been hired as an assistant director of football recruiting in Harbaugh’s Michigan program. He “liked” and posted numerous offensive tweets on Twitter, including some suggesting that the Black community benefited from slavery and Jim Crow laws.
“We are aware of some comments and likes on social media that have caused concern and pain for individuals in our community,” Harbaugh and Manuel said in a statement upon his resignation. “Michigan Athletics is fully committed to a place where our coaches, staff and student-athletes feel welcome and where we fully support the University’s and Athletic Department’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.”
October 2023: The Connor Stalions scandal is uncovered
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Here we arrive at the most prolific on-field cheating scandal uncovered in the recent memory of college football, and perhaps ever, given the scope of Michigan’s illegal advanced scouting and sign-stealing operation orchestrated by Connor Stalions from 2021 through 2023.
The initial reports broke suddenly on the afternoon of Oct. 19, 2023. More details flooded in over time. Stalions purchased tickets to more than 30 Big Ten games across the 2021, 2022 and 2023 seasons, sending scouts to film the sidelines of future Michigan opponents so he could steal their play-calling signals. Images of what was later confirmed to be him on Central Michigan’s sideline as the Chippewas played Michigan State also appeared. Stealing opposing signals is not prohibited by the NCAA bylaws, but advanced scouting very much is.
NEW: @TheAthletic has obtained more photos of the goatee'd sunglasses person on the Central Michigan sideline at Michigan State.
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) October 31, 2023
CMU is looking into whether this is Connor Stalions.
Story: https://t.co/79siEcZ89r pic.twitter.com/R5AyslTIWF
Stalions, a former Marine and “recruiting analyst” for the team, had a nearly 600-page “Michigan Manifesto” with plans for the future of the Wolverines’ program. He resigned on Nov. 3, 2023, but the fallout continued long after. The NCAA informed the Big Ten that it “knew and could prove” that the Wolverines used illegal advanced scouting to steal signs, and had a “master spreadsheet” detailing the scheme. In response, the Big Ten suspended Harbaugh for the final three games of the 2023 regular season, though that didn’t stop Michigan from finishing undefeated and winning a national championship.
The NCAA took its time with its investigation, and Michigan fought the process every step of the way. Stalions himself went on record to investigators as saying he tossed a phone and other items with crucial evidence into a pond. Soon-to-be new Wolverine head coach Sherrone Moore deleted all his text message conversations with Stalions, which he claimed was part of a larger effort to clear out space on his phone. The Michigan administration slowed the process by waiting as long as possible to respond to the NCAA’s Notice of Allegations.
Despite “overwhelming evidence” of the advanced scouting scheme, in the NCAA’s own words, Michigan received no vacated wins and no postseason ban when sanctions were finally handed down in August 2025. It received by far the largest fine in NCAA history, estimated to be more than $30 million, a 25% reduction of official visits for football and decades of show-cause penalties. Stalions received an eight-year show-cause, Harbaugh a 10-year, Robinson a three-year and Moore a two-year. On top of a self-imposed two-game suspension in 2025, Moore was suspended one game in 2026, a suspension he won’t get a chance to serve.
Stalions claimed no wrongdoing in Netflix’s “Sign Stealer” documentary, but that same documentary caught him in multiple lies about the scandal.
November 2023: Low-level staffer Alex Yood fired for alleged solicitation of a minor
Two internet content creators posed as a 13-year-old girl over messages and convinced 22-year-old low-level Michigan football staffer Alex Yood to meet for what they alleged to be sex. In a video posted to Instagram (warning: frequent use of strong language) on Sep. 29, 2023, the creators confronted Yood in a store where he allegedly thought he’d be meeting the minor. He had a bottle of liquor in his hand. He was let go by Michigan later that fall.
March through May 2024: Defensive line coach Greg Scruggs, assistant director of player personnel Denard Robinson ousted for drunk driving
Two separate Michigan football staff members were arrested and later fired for operating a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol in the spring of 2024. Much like Glenn Schembechler, defensive line coach Greg Scruggs’ Michigan tenure lasted a matter of days. He was hired on March 7, 2024, stopped by police at 2:15 a.m. nine days later on March 16, found to have a blood-alcohol content of .17 (twice the legal limit in Michigan) and resigned on March 21.
Greg Scruggs coaching at Wisconsin. Photo: Mark Stewart/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel/USA TODAY NETWORK
Denard Robinson, a former star quarterback at Michigan, served as assistant director of player personnel from 2022 until May 2024, when he was fired due to a DUI charge the previous month. Police discovered Robinson asleep at the wheel of his vehicle at 3:05 a.m. on April 15 after crashing into a road sign less than two miles from Schembechler Hall in Ann Arbor. He reportedly had a BAC of .158. He was suspended that day and later fired on May 14.
May 2025: University president Santa Ono leaves for Florida with Stalions penalties pending, is rejected
With penalties for the Stalions scandal still to come, Michigan president Santa Ono became the sole finalist to be the next president at the University of Florida and left his post at Michigan to pursue that job. In an unprecedented turn, however, he was rejected for that job after the Florida Board of Governors voted 10-6 against him, citing his policies supporting diversity, equity and inclusion programs at Michigan.
November 2025: FBI arrests three Michigan Chinese National Scholars in connection with the smuggling of biological materials
On Nov. 5, three Michigan research scholars from the People’s Republic of China were arrested and charged with conspiracy to smuggle biological materials into the United States and for lying to U.S. customs and border patrol officials. One of those scholars, Yungqinq Jian, pleaded guilty to smuggling a biological pathogen into the United States on Nov. 12 and was sentenced to time served. The pathogen in question was the fungus Fusarium graminearum, which causes “head blight” in wheat, barley, maize and rice, and is responsible for billions of dollars in economic losses worldwide each year.
December 2025: Sherrone Moore fired for inappropriate sexual relationship with employee, arrested and charged with home invasion, stalking
Content warning: The following section includes a description of self-harm that may be disturbing to some readers.
The details of Moore’s extramarital affair with a Michigan football staff member are still coming to light. His reprehensible actions afterward are already documented in court, however.
Moore was under investigation by the Michigan athletic department since November for the relationship, but was fired on Wednesday after “additional evidence came to light,” per The Athletic’s Austin Meek. The investigation from the university remains ongoing.
Per NBC Sports’ Nicole Auerbach, Manuel knew Moore was dealing with mental health issues as the walls closed in around him, but he made the firing with no human resources representative and no security personnel present on Wednesday. Moore was arrested later that evening and charged with home invasion, stalking and illegal entry. Pittsfield Township police responded to a call about the encounter at 4:10 p.m., just 26 minutes after news of his firing broke on ESPN.
UPDATE from Pittsfield police: Sherrone Moore allegedly entered the residence through an unlocked door and was unarmed. He picked up two butter knives and a pair of scissors within the residence and threatened to harm himself. pic.twitter.com/lKB8E1dGF0
— Brandon Marcello (@bmarcello) December 12, 2025
According to the prosecution at his arraignment, Moore “barged” into the dwelling of the staffer he had an affair with and grabbed several butter knives and a pair of kitchen scissors.
“I'm gonna kill myself. I'm gonna make you watch. My blood is on your hands. You ruined my life,” Moore allegedly told the staffer, per prosecuting attorney Kati Rezmierski.
Moore faces up to five years in prison and/or a $2,000 fine for his felony home invasion charge, one year in prison and/or a $1,000 fine for his stalking charge and 90 days in prison and/or $500 for his illegal entry charge.
There is surely a scent of schadenfreude in the air about Ohio State fans in the wake of all this. It's always fun for any team to see its rival collapse.
But people's lives have been hurt or even destroyed by many of these scandals. No one wants to see people suffer the trauma of a home invasion, people have their privacy and intimacy violated, people try to take advantage of minors or people endanger others by driving drunk.
Michigan needs to clean up its cesspool. For the sake of everyone, clean house. Rivalry hatred should only need to extend to the field.
