Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel is stepping down at the end of the calendar year, the school announced Monday.\u00a0<\/p>\n
News of Manuel\u2019s departure comes as Michigan released findings from an outside investigation into the actions of former football coach Sherrone Moore and the broader culture of the athletic department.<\/p>\n
President Domenico Grasso praised Manuel\u2019s contributions to Michigan\u2019s success in athletics but said the probe, conducted by the Jenner & Block law firm, revealed \u201cserious concerns that require immediate action,\u201d including failures of accountability, weaknesses in reporting and concerns about retaliation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is unacceptable,\u201d Grasso said in a video statement. \u201cWe have significant work ahead to restore Michigan athletics to its standing as a model program, not only on the field, but also off the field.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Jenner & Block investigation did not determine that any current athletic department employee had \u201cdirect, contemporaneous evidence\u201d of Moore\u2019s relationship with his executive assistant prior to Moore\u2019s firing in December 2025, according to a summary released by the university. However, the review found that Manuel failed to \u201cquickly and effectively act on allegations of wrongdoing by athletic department employees.\u201d<\/p>\n
Following reports that his future at Michigan was in doubt<\/a>, Manuel spoke to Yahoo Sports last week and said there were \u201cno plans for me not to continue to be the athletic director for the near future.\u201d Manuel earns roughly $2.4 million annually in salary and deferred compensation on a contract that runs through 2030, with a buyout equivalent to three years of compensation.<\/p>\n Manuel, a former Michigan football player, was hired as athletic director in 2016 and oversaw this year\u2019s national championship in men\u2019s basketball, Michigan\u2019s 2023 national championship in football, national championships for men\u2019s and women\u2019s gymnastics and five Frozen Four appearances for the ice hockey team. However, Michigan\u2019s successes often came amidst scandals, investigations, rules violations and the arrests of multiple staff members.<\/p>\n Speculation about Manuel\u2019s future intensified as Moore\u2019s tenure unraveled in December. Manuel promoted Moore to replace Jim Harbaugh in 2024 and fired him less than two years later after Moore\u2019s former executive assistant, Paige Shiver, revealed that she and Moore had engaged in a lengthy romantic relationship<\/a>. Moore was arrested after confronting Shiver at her apartment and pleaded no contest to a pair of misdemeanors. He was sentenced to 18 months of probation.<\/p>\n Michigan directed Jenner & Block, which was investigating Moore\u2019s relationship with Shiver, to conduct a broader investigation into Michigan\u2019s handling of the situation. To date, Michigan has spent nearly $12 million on the probe.<\/p>\n \u201cNobody wants to be judged by the misdeeds of others,\u201d Manuel said in April. \u201cFor me, I wake up every day working for the great people and the great student athletes we have here to represent this university in a first-class manner. When people step out of line and they do something that\u2019s not (right), I deal with it and we keep moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n The investigation uncovered a note from Manuel, written two days before Moore\u2019s head coaching debut in 2024, documenting a conversation in which he instructed Moore not to travel with Shiver, according to the Wall Street Journal. Two program sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity because Michigan had not released the Jenner & Block findings, said Michigan\u2019s human resources department received a complaint during Moore\u2019s first preseason camp after players and staff observed Moore and Shiver working out together in the Michigan weight room.<\/p>\n Michigan released a summary of the Jenner & Block findings but has denied Freedom of Information requests for the full report, citing attorney-client privilege. The university said it would implement several reforms, including strengthening its compliance and human resources processes, revising procedures for investigating and escalating allegations of misconduct and \u201cimplementing mandatory coach training on student-athlete mental health, nutrition and eating disorders.\u201d<\/p>\n Moore\u2019s firing was one of several scandals that rocked Michigan in recent years. The NCAA hit Michigan with a fine that could surpass $30 million as punishment for a sign-stealing scandal that erupted during the football team\u2019s\u2019 2023 run to the national championship. Moore and Harbaugh served suspensions<\/a> tied to that investigation and an earlier investigation into recruiting violations.<\/p>\n