After more than a decade overseeing Michigan athletics, athletic director Warde Manuel will step down at the end of the calendar year, the university announced Monday.
Event Context
Manuel, 58, assumed the role in January 2016 and guided one of the nation’s premier athletic departments through a highly successful period, highlighted by multiple national championships, including titles in football and men’s basketball.
However, his departure also comes after years in which the department faced a series of legal challenges and controversies, issues that have ultimately shaped the closing chapter of his tenure.
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As Manuel prepares to leave, here’s a look at five major controversies that surfaced in the final years of his tenure and raised serious questions about the athletic department.
In the latter part of 2025, the university brought in Chicago-based law firm Jenner & Block to investigate the circumstances surrounding Sherrone Moore while also conducting a wider review of the athletic department’s operations.
Player Focus
Former football assistant coach Matt Weiss was dismissed in January 2023 after an investigation into unauthorized access to computer accounts.
In March 2025, federal prosecutors charged him with illegally obtaining private information, including personal photographs and medical records, from numerous student-athletes at Schembechler Hall.
Men’s ice hockey coach Mel Pearson was dismissed in August 2022 following an independent investigation. The report revealed a toxic culture of bullying and mistreatment of players, including forcing athletes to lie about COVID-19 protocols, despite initial support from Manuel.
Men’s basketball coach Juwan Howard was disciplined after striking a Wisconsin assistant coach in 2022. Although retained initially, the incident damaged his reputation, and following additional, separate confrontations with staff, Manuel terminated Howard in March 2024.
The 2023 football season was clouded by an NCAA investigation into an illegal sign-stealing operation linked to staffer Connor Stallions.
Head coach Jim Harbaugh served multiple suspensions, resulting in extreme instability, with five different coaches navigating the season’s disciplinary actions.
In December 2025, head coach Sherrone Moore was fired and arrested following a university probe into an inappropriate workplace relationship.
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Subsequent to his termination, Moore was charged with stalking and home invasion, prompting an external review of the athletic department’s culture.
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Michigan released a summary of the investigation which has already cost the university close to $12 million, reported ESPN. According to a spokesperson for the Board of Regents, no further findings or documents from the probe will be made public.
