Michigan athletics investigation finds 'weaknesses', changes promised

A more than seven-month investigation into the Michigan athletic department that stemmed from the inappropriate relationship between former football coach Sherrone Moore and his subordinate Paige Shiver found athletic director Warde Manuel failed to quickly and effectively act on allegations of wrongdoing in the department.

While the university's summary championed many aspects of the department, it acknowledged private law firm Jenner & Block identified multiple areas of improvement. A spokesman also confirmed Manuel will step down at the end of the year.

The University of Michigan released what it characterized as a summary of the findings Monday, July 20, along with a message from President Domenico Grasso. Grasso heralded Manuel's leadership while outlining upcoming changes.

Many of the changes are promises to review and potentially change foundational human resources, compliance and oversight policies at the Ann Arbor-based university. But the school provides scant rationale for the proposed changes and acknowledges it's still creating a framework to measure whether and how they are implemented.

"The broader cultural review has identified serious concerns that require immediate action. These include failures in accountability, structural deficiencies, weaknesses in our reporting and support systems, and concerns about retaliation," Grasso said in the video.

RELATED: Warde Manuel to step down as Michigan athletic director at end of year

"This is unacceptable. We 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."

The Jenner & Block law firm, which U-M brought in to the tune of more than $12 million to investigate its athletic department culture as a whole after the shocking Moore news, found "outside investigators did not identify any current university employee with direct, contemporaneous evidence of the relationship."

It's unclear if any they determined anyone previously employed by the university knew of the relationship before Moore was fired. Multiple reports from previous employees argue some in the department knew well before the end of 2025.

Grasso and the university summary outlined additional coming changes:

• The university is "evaluating the creation of a C-suite officer for Compliance to lead the Ethics, Integrity, and Compliance Office" as is related to the athletics department.
• The university is "reviewing reporting structures and implementing enhanced hiring, onboarding, and offboarding practices." That includes incorporating student-athlete feedback into coaching evaluations and creating a progressive discipline policy.
• "The University will establish consistent investigative policies and procedures based on best practices, including standardized investigative protocols, documentation requirements, and expectations for truthful cooperation with investigations," according to the summary.
• The school promises to "strengthen" the promises for student-athletes to report health and safety, NCAA compliance and other issues.
• "The university will further strengthen its commitment to student-athlete health and wellbeing by expanding access to confidential medical and mental health resources, implementing mandatory coach training on student-athlete mental health, nutrition and eating disorders, evaluating the creation of a dedicated eating disorder support team comprised of dietitians, physicians and counseling professionals, and regularly assessing student-athlete wellness and nutrition needs to guide future improvements," the summary states.
• The school is also exploring creating a "U-M Athletics Board." It would advise school leaders on department-related issues.

A person with knowledge of the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity told the Free Press months back that Manuel had heard about the Moore and Shiver relationship prior to the December firing but at that point it was simply "rumors."

The Free Press was also told Manuel asked Moore directly about the affair, something he categorically denied. When he asked others in the department and the football program for evidence, nobody had anything "concrete" to present.

Jenner & Block began working with Michigan in late 2025. Moore was fired in early December of that year after Shiver told the university they engaged in a long-standing affair that dated back to 2021. Moore went to Shiver's apartment the same day and he was later arrested and faced a felony charge stemming from the encounter.

In March, Moore agreed to plead no contest to lesser charges before a Washtenaw County judge sentenced him to 18 months probation in April.

Grasso released a video in the days following Moore's arrest saying Michigan would leave "no stone unturned" in its investigation and promised it would take "whatever steps necessary" to ensure nothing of the sort happened again.

“We are continuing the investigation of coach Moore’s actions to uncover any additional germane and material information and to assess whether there may be related misconduct by others,” Grasso said at the time. "We will not stop there. We have expanded the Jenner & Block assignment to include an independent evaluation of culture, conduct and procedures throughout our athletics department."

While Michigan has been winning at a historic level − Michigan football won the national title in January 2024, the basketball team won the title in April 2026, men's gymnastics won the national title in April 2025 and the hockey program has gone to four Frozen Four's in the past five seasons − off the field, multiple programs have been riddled with scandal.

The football program saw a roughly $30 million fine for an illegal sign-stealing scheme; Jim Harbaugh was suspended three games as part of an NCAA investigation into impermissible recruiting; former offensive coordinator Matt Weiss is under investigation by the FBI for computer crimes; former hockey coach Mel Pearson was not retained after a Wilmer-Hale investigation found Pearson did not provide credible answers to investigators and lied during a probe into the program; former basketball coach Juwan Howard was suspended for five games after he hit a Wisconsin assistant coach in the handshake line following a game; and a host of assistant football coaches were given show-causes for their roles in various NCAA violations.

There have been other incidents, as well.

Most recently, Shiver has sued Michigan for intentionally violating the Michigan Freedom of Information Act, a law designed to help people find and review public records, and the suit is demanding "transparency and accountability from the University of Michigan, President Grasso and the Board of Regents," said Andrew M. Stroth, a Chicago-based civil rights lawyer with Action Injury Law Group who is representing Shiver.

Tony Garcia is the Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia. Dave Boucher is an investigative reporter at the Detroit Free Press. Reach him at dboucher@freepress.com.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan athletics investigation finds 'weaknesses', changes promised