The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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AUGUST 2026 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 9 BY ANTHONY BROOME A fter Michigan fired former head football coach Sherrone Moore for cause in December fol- lowing findings of an inappropri- ate relationship with his assistant, Paige Shiver, it commissioned the Jenner & Block law firm to investi- gate the athletics department's cul- ture and practices. The cost of that investigation continues to balloon, with the most recent reporting suggesting it has exceeded $12 million. As of mid- July, no physical copy of the report had been compiled, and only se- lect administrators had been orally briefed on the findings. University spokespeople maintained that the school intended to keep the inves- tigation confidential in order to preserve the integrity of the process and protect the privacy of those in- volved, citing attorney-client privilege. Despite reports that athletics director Warde Manuel's future would be dis- cussed at the July 16 Board of Regents meeting in Traverse City, U-M remained adamant in the days leading up to that meeting that his status and the investi- gation would not be discussed. The meeting was livestreamed, but the broadcast was cut short due to audio is- sues that persisted throughout. It came and went without the athletics depart- ment matters being discussed. However, U-M president Domenico Grasso briefly went on the record with MLive's Sam Jane, stating Manuel is "one of the best athletic directors in the country" and that the university had not decided if or when it would release the Jenner & Block findings. Regent Paul Brown also spoke to MLive, saying that there is "no smoking gun" directly implicating members of the athletics department. "Like most disasters, it's an accumula- tion of little mistakes and a lack of fol- lowing best practices that resulted in a disaster," Brown said. Manuel's involvement comes in the form of what he knew, or did not know, about Moore and Shiver's relationship. It was speculated that Manuel and Michi- gan have been working on a buyout or negotiated exit, but the embattled ath- letics director went on the offensive, saying only that he's not sure what the future holds. Both The Wall Street Journal and The Athletic released additional reporting on July 14, shedding light on Manuel's alleged knowledge of the relationship between Moore and Shiver, who were involved in an inappropriate rela- tionship that cost Moore his job last December. Shiver is suing Michigan to release the report's findings, but Michigan has held firm on keep- ing them confidential. Shiver's le- gal team has separately alleged a pattern of "years of manipulation, harassment, and exploitation" by Moore, framing the case as evidence of a broader cultural problem within the athletics department rather than an isolated incident. "I don't know what the future is going to be and how long I'll be in this position," Manuel told WTKA on July 14. "I do know that I'm here today, and I do know that I'm go- ing to be here tomorrow. And I do feel confident in the things I have done here at Michigan, not for me, not for Warde — but on behalf of the University of Michigan, our stu- dent-athletes, our coaches, our staff, our fans, our donors, to drive success with our student-athletes academically and athletically. "I've had several conversations over the last six or seven months about the future and things that have happened and different opportunities and differ- ent ways that things could go. There's no doubt about it. I'm not going to hide from that conversation that occurs. But as it relates to where things are going to go, I'm not 100 percent certain." On July 20, a university spokesman confirmed that while U-M would not be issuing any statements related to these matters or releasing any associ- ated documents, Manuel would be step- ping down at the end of the calendar year and a search for a new athletics director would be conducted. ❑ ❱ Inside Michigan ATHLETICS 'No Smoking Gun,' No Timeline: The Latest On U-M's $12 Million Jenner & Block Report Recent reporting suggests an investigation into the University of Michigan athletics department's culture and practices in the wake of its firing of former head football coach Sherrone Moore has crossed the $12 million threshold. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL