New findings from an investigation into Michigan’s athletic department indicate AD Warde Manuel and the school overlooked warning signs surrounding Sherrone Moore’s relationship with Paige Shiver during his tenure with the football program.
According to a report from The Wall Street Journal's Corinne Ramey and Rachel Bachman, an investigation conducted by law firm Jenner & Block concluded Michigan's response to Moore's relationship with Shiver was inadequate and found it was often unclear who was responsible for handling allegations of misconduct.
While Michigan has not publicly released Jenner & Block's report, the WSJ obtained information that one of the earliest documented warning signs came two days before Moore's first game as the Wolverines' head coach. Manuel raised concerns about Moore's relationship with Shiver in a note dated Aug. 29, 2024.
“I told him I didn’t remember if we had already discussed, but that she couldn’t accompany him on trips,” Manuel wrote on Michigan letterhead.
On Dec. 10, 2025, Manuel fired Moore over the relationship. Later that day, Moore was arrested after allegedly confronting Shiver in her apartment while wielding a butter knife.
After learning of Jenner & Block's findings, attorneys representing Moore and Shiver called on Michigan to release the full report. A university spokesperson told the WSJ the school intends to keep the investigation confidential to preserve the integrity of the process and protect participants' privacy.
The findings have increased pressure on Michigan and Manuel, who has denied reports that he could leave his position as athletic director.
According to Jenner & Block's findings, Moore's relationship with Shiver dated back to November 2021, when he messaged her on Instagram from the Orange Bowl asking, "What's your drink of choice?" Months later, during a recruiting trip to Colorado in January 2022, the two began a physical relationship.
That summer, Shiver had an abortion and later told Moore she sought treatment for postpartum depression. According to the firm's findings, she texted Moore about then-head coach Jim Harbaugh.
"Mr. Harbaugh helped me get into the head person here," she texted Moore. "Don't worry he doesn't know everything and won't[,] just knows I'm not well."
When Harbaugh left to become head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers in January 2024, Moore succeeded him and promoted Shiver to executive assistant.
Harbaugh did not respond to the WSJ’s request for comment.
Jenner & Block found allegations involving the relationship surfaced repeatedly beginning in 2024, including claims that Shiver acted inappropriately in Moore's office, a hotline complaint received by Manuel and a report from Shiver's father expressing concerns about Moore's emotional state.
The investigation also found the university was aware of Moore's online interactions with the wife of a Michigan donor, who posted provocative photos on Instagram.
Shiver ultimately reported the relationship to university officials in late 2025, prompting Manuel to fire Moore.
Beyond Moore's conduct, Jenner & Block identified broader compliance failures within Michigan's athletic department, including the university's failure to implement recommendations from an earlier sexual misconduct review. The report also found that a Michigan athletics compliance officer reported directly to Manuel rather than the university's Office of General Counsel.
Michigan announced last week that its general counsel, Timothy Lynch, was leaving the university to become Stanford's general counsel. While Stanford made his hiring official on Monday, it did not respond to the WSJ's request for comment on Lynch's behalf.
