Michigan AD Warde Manuel to step down after internal investigation into Sherrone Moore saga

Michigan Athletic Director Warde Manuel will step down at the end of the year, the school confirmed Monday.

The move comes after Manuel was implicated in an internal investigation into the saga around the firing of head football coach Sherrone Moore in December.

Instead of releasing the full investigation, Michigan put out an FAQ on Monday outlining its findings. In that FAQ, the school said the investigation showed misconduct was not widespread throughout Michigan Athletics. However, in regards to the football program, the investigation concluded, “Existing oversight mechanisms were not sufficiently effective and recommended strengthening leadership oversight, clarifying responsibilities, enhancing reporting relationships and improving compliance processes.”

Regarding Manuel, the FAQ said the following:

“The culture review found that Warde Manuel demonstrated important leadership strengths, particularly his commitment to student-athletes. At the same time, it identified failures to quickly and effectively act on allegations of wrongdoing by Athletic Department employees.”

The school then outlined six ways in which it will implement recommendations from the investigation moving forward.

Manuel, who was hired in 2016, signed a five-year extension in 2024 that runs through 2030. Unless the two sides reach a settlement, a buyout of Manuel's contract required 36 months of severance pay; Manuel earns more than $2 million per year under the extension.

Manuel's future was already in doubt, with Michigan regents meeting last Thursday to discuss the investigation into Moore and the football program. Moore was arrested by police and fired by Michigan in December for an "inappropriate relationship" with a staff member, and was later charged with felony home invasion. The school hired a law firm shortly afterwards to conduct an independent investigation into the athletic office's response to multiple scandals in the program.

The AD initially denied concerns about his future, telling Yahoo Sports last Monday that he'd had "several great conversations" with university president Domenico Grasso over the previous days.

"There are no plans for me not to continue to be the athletic director for the near future," he said at the time. That, as it turned out, did not appear to be the case.

Manuel to depart after more than a decade at the school

A former defensive end who played under legendary Michigan coach Bo Schembechler, Manuel returned to Ann Arbor in 2016 to become the school's AD after stints at UConn and Buffalo.

The Wolverines have won four national championships in Manuel's tenure, including highly-coveted titles in football (2023) and men's basketball (2026). (Michigan women's gymnastics won the NCAA tournament in 2021, and men's gymnastics won it in 2025.)

But those titles have come with scandals, especially in the football program. Moore's predecessor, Jim Harbaugh, weathered two scandals — a handful of minor recruiting infractions, and the large-scale sign-stealing scandal perpetrated by staff member Connor Stalions — before leading the team to the College Football Playoff championship.

Three years later, basketball coach Dusty May — who was hired under Manuel — led the team to the 2026 men's basketball championship. However, Manuel failed to keep either head coach from heading to the pros in the months after those titles: Harbaugh fled to join the Los Angeles Chargers, and May took a job with the Dallas Mavericks last month.

Moore replaced Harbaugh as head coach in 2024, and led the team to a 17-9 overall record across two seasons. But he came with scandal, with his relationship with a staffer and subsequent arrest appearing to implicate the athletic department.

Earlier last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that Manuel had told Moore that he could not travel with Shiver in 2024, more than a year before their relationship had been officially disclosed. The staffer, Paige Shiver, told Good Morning America in April that other coaches knew about their relationship, and that she was tasked with keeping Moore's emotions in check.

Moore reached a plea deal in March, and will serve no jail time. Kyle Whittingham was later hired as the football team's new head coach in the week's after Moore was fired.

This story will be updated.