Sherrone Moore’s firing for an inappropriate relationship has prompted the University of Michigan to launch a full investigation into the culture and practices of its athletic department.
According to reports by ESPN and The Detroit News, Michigan has commissioned a Chicago-based law firm, Jenner & Block, to investigate the culture of the athletic department due to the many scandals within Michigan athletics in recent years.
Jenner & Block began investigating Moore earlier this fall after Michigan received an anonymous tip that the Wolverines’ football coach had engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. While that investigation initially did not find enough evidence to confirm the relationship, Moore was fired Wednesday after the staff member told university officials that she had been in a relationship with Moore. Moore was subsequently arrested and charged with home invasion, stalking and illegal entry after entering the staffer’s home without permission.
In the wake of Moore’s firing and arrest, Michigan has asked Jenner & Block to expand the scope of its investigation to the entire athletic department.
As Eleven Warriors’ Andy Anders documented this week, Moore’s firing for cause is just one of many scandals that have unfolded over the last four years within Michigan athletics, particularly within the football program.
Most infamously, the Michigan football program broke NCAA rules by conducting an impermissible sign-stealing operation in which former analyst Connor Stalions arranged for staffers and associates to scout opponents’ games in person from 2021 to 2023. Former head coach Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan football program also received NCAA sanctions in 2024 for violating recruiting rules during the COVID-19 pandemic. Former Michigan co-offensive coordinator Matt Weiss was fired in 2023 and indicted on federal charges this March after an investigation found that he illegally obtained access to private information and photos of female college athletes.
Despite all of those scandals, athletic director Warde Manuel – who has led the athletic department since 2016 – remains employed by the university.
Jenner & Block has a longstanding relationship with Michigan as a legal partner of the university. In 2022, Michigan hired the law firm to investigate former university president Mark Schlissel, who was fired for having an inappropriate relationship with a university employee.
