Warde Manuel’s 10-year tenure as athletic director of Michigan is set to come to an end after the affair scandal embroiling former football coach Sherrone Moore left the school rocked.
Married father-of-three Moore, 40, lost his job as head coach of the Michigan Wolverines due to an ‘inappropriate relationship’ with a staffer before being arrested over an alleged assault in the space of a dramatic few hours in December.
Following the shocking events, the school launched an independent investigation into the practices and culture of its athletics department, conducted by Chicago-based law firm Jenner & Block.
Releasing the findings of the investigation on Monday, the school also announced that Manuel will be stepping down from his role as director of the athletics department at the end of the calendar year.
The 58-year-old has led the Wolverines since 2016, heading up a department with an annual budget of about $250 million, 29 teams, 950-plus athletes and about 400 staff members – overseeing the NCAA powerhouse’s numerous successes in that time.
Manuel was set to be paid about $2.4 million annually on a contract that ran through 2030. The financial details of his future are currently unclear.
Warde manuel will step down as Michigan’s athletic director at the end of the calendar year
An investigation was launched after football head coach Sherrone Moore was accused of an affair with staffer Paige Shiver, who served as his executive assistant at the time
His tenure was marked by multiple national championships – including both the men’s football and basketball – but also numerous scandals with the controversial events of last December proving to be the final nail in the coffin.
‘Neither the investigation nor the culture review found that misconduct was widespread throughout the department,’ a summary of the investigation stated.
‘The culture review found that weaknesses in accountability, organizational structure, oversight, and reporting created conditions in which misconduct was not always addressed consistently, promptly, or in accordance with University expectations.’
The review, which has reportedly cost $12 million, added: ‘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.’
Jenner & Block interviewed nearly 300 witnesses across 350 interviews over the course of their probe. The firm interviewed a wide range of witnesses, including coaches, athletics staff, student-athletes, University leaders, human resources personnel, and other stakeholders.
They also followed more than 90 leads from a hotline they established to gather information and reviewed more than 20,000 records.
Michigan had previously hired Jenner & Block to open a previous inquiry into disgraced former football head coach Moore’s conduct.
Moore was accused of confronting staffer Paige Shiver, with whom he had been having an affair, and blaming her for his firing. Authorities said she had previously ended the affair and spoken to school officials about it.
Moore was arrested over an alleged assault after allegedly barging into Shiver’s home
Moore has been married to his wife, Kelli, since 2015. They have three daughters together
Moore, pictured in court with his wife Kelli, was fired by the Michigan Wolverines in December
The coach was accused of barging his way through Shiver’s door, grabbing butter knives and scissors before threatening to kill himself. The 40-year-old father of three was arrested and charged with home invasion and stalking as well as breaking and entering.
Moore pleaded no contest to trespassing and malicious use of a telecom device and was placed on probation in April for 18 months.
It wasn’t the first scandal to rock the school’s athletic department in recent years – albeit it was the most shocking.
In March 2025, former offensive coordinator Matt Weiss was charged with hacking and accused by federal prosecutors of stealing thousands of private, intimate images of student-athletes. Weiss pleaded not guilty to all 24 charges.
In 2018, meanwhile, Michigan’s ex-director of performance science, Fergus Connolly, was arrested for DUI – but was also hit with multiple counts of assaulting/resisting/obstructing a police officer.
After being transported to a hospital, Connolly allegedly attempted to bite someone. He later pleaded no contest to five of the nine misdemeanor charges against him, with prosecutors dropping other counts.
In 2023, Glenn ‘Shemy’ Schembechler – the son of longtime Michigan coach Bo Schembechler – resigned three days after he was hired following social media activity that was deemed to be concerning and harmful by the school.
Michigan was also hit with NCAA sanctions over the sign-stealing scheme orchestrated by former football staffer Connor Stalions.
Warde has overseen Michigan’s numerous sporting achievements during his 10-year tenure
Shiver has now launched a lawsuit of her own against the University of Michigan, seeking requested records and punitive damages
However, Michigan has also seen a lot of success under Manuel’s tenure. The football team won the national championship in January 2024 under then-head coach Jim Harbaugh, who subsequently left the program to join the Los Angeles Chargers.
Manuel has never been cited for having any direct role in these incidents.
Michigan chiefs are believed to have met late last week to discuss the findings of Jenner & Block’s investigation with Manuel’s decision on his future coming on Monday morning.
Earlier this month, Shiver filed a lawsuit against the school, four months after she quietly left her position in the athletics department.
Her attorneys filed a lawsuit – which has been viewed by the Daily Mail – in a Washtenaw County court, arguing that the school is willfully withholding records relating to a $12 million investigation into the scandal.
In the suit, Shiver – who is seeking requested records and punitive damages – claims the school violated the Freedom of Information Act by denying requests made on her behalf after the football coach was fired for having an inappropriate relationship with her.
‘It was important for our client to file this initial FOIA lawsuit to ensure the truth and facts come out,’ attorney Andrew M. Stroth said in a statement to the Daily Mail.
School spokesman Paul Corliss declined comment at the time.
