Warde Manuel is receiving a hefty payday from Michigan on his way out.
Angelique Chengelis of The Detroit News reported Saturday that Manuel will receive a buyout worth $7,143,346, minus tax withholding, within 21 days of the end of his tenure as athletic director. He will also receive a retirement contribution of $108,000 and all retiree benefits, including health plan coverage, as Michigan waived its typical service requirement of 20 years. Additionally, Michigan will pay Manuel’s $82,000 in attorney fees and will give him the typical benefits provided to a former athletic director, including tickets and golf privileges.
Just in case any other Big Ten schools were lining up to hire him, Manuel’s settlement with Michigan also includes a non-compete clause that prevents him from working as an athletic director or senior athletic adviser for any Big Ten school in the next two years.
Michigan announced Monday that Manuel would step down as the university’s athletic director at the end of 2026. The abdication of his post as the leader of Michigan’s athletic department comes after a university-commissioned investigation by Chicago-based law firm Jenner & Block “identified failures to quickly and effectively act on allegations of wrongdoing by Athletic Department employees” by Manuel.
Michigan commissioned a review into the culture of its athletic department in December after it fired former football coach Sherrone Moore for an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. Moore was subsequently arrested for entering the staff member’s home without permission, and pleaded no contest to charges of trespassing and malicious use of a telecommunications device in March.
Moore’s firing was just one of many scandals within the Michigan athletic department in recent years. Last August, the NCAA found “overwhelming evidence” that Michigan football conducted an illegal sign-stealing scheme from 2021 to 2023 under the leadership of former analyst Connor Stalions, which resulted in fines of approximately $30 million against Michigan.
Another major scandal involving Michigan football in recent years was the arrest of former co-offensive coordinator Matt Weiss, who was indicted on 24 federal charges in March 2025 for allegedly obtaining unauthorized access to personal information and intimate photos and videos of thousands of college athletes.
The NCAA also found that former coach Jim Harbaugh’s program committed recruiting violations during the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in a four-year show-cause penalty against Harbaugh. Harbaugh, who left Michigan after the 2023 season to become the head coach of the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers, later received another 10-year show-cause penalty for his involvement in the sign-stealing scheme.
Michigan’s controversies in recent years haven’t been limited to the football program, as men’s hockey coach Mel Pearson was fired in 2022 after an investigation into his program revealed a toxic culture and potential violations of university codes. Former men’s basketball coach Juwan Howard was suspended for five games in 2022 after he struck a Wisconsin assistant coach during a postgame handshake line.
Despite all of those scandals, Manuel will receive three more years’ worth of pay – the same amount he would have received if Michigan fired him – on his way out as athletic director. Manuel was set to make approximately $2.4 million per year on a contract extension he received from Michigan in December 2024 that ran through June 2030.
Manuel will also remain with Michigan as a special advisor to the president, as Michigan president Domenico Grasso has asked Manuel to help the university implement reforms in the athletic department – the athletic department he has led since 2016 – that include strengthening its compliance office, enhancing human resources operations, establishing consistent investigative policies and procedures, improving processes for reporting and escalating concerns, strengthening athletics leadership and organizational structure, and expanding student-athlete health and wellness support.
