Michigan Athletic Director Warde Manuel Sounds Off On Sherrone Moore 'Betrayal'

In his 10 years as Michigan athletic director, Warde Manuel has overseen the Wolverines' return to the top of the mountain in both football and basketball. But the end of the 2025 football season saw the team face a massive scandal in the form of now-former head coach Sherrone Moore's downfall.

In December, Moore was fired for cause after an internal investigation found that he had engaged in an improper relationship with an ex-assistant. Moore subsequently went to the assistant's house and threatened to kill himself, which resulted in his arrest and sentence to probation.

Now, Manuel is speaking out on the whole matter. In an interview with The Detroit News, Manuel admitted to feeling "betrayed" by Moore and sympathized with those who were similarly hurt by Moore's actions.

"I felt betrayed. It's the best word that I can use," Manuel said, via the New York Post. "I felt hurt for all the staff and the student-athletes and the university, because it's something that I had talked about, as it related to the expectations of our employees in athletics and for the university...

"I had known Sherrone since he got here, believed in him as a leader, believed that my staff is doing things the right way, and I felt hurt, and I felt betrayed by it. It was personal, but it was also, I want to emphasize, for so many people that were affected by it.

"And it's hard as a leader to have to enforce discipline on people that you care about and that you believe in, but it has to be done. There are a lot of people who claim to be callous, who say, ‘Oh, you should have fired him when the rumor was there.' But you can't just fire people on rumors with no evidence. So when the evidence was presented, it was a sense of betrayal and hurt for everybody who was going to be involved with a decision. Players, coaches, their families. Everybody."

Moore's Downfall

Manuel was asked to give his thoughts on Moore's recent sentencing, which saw him get 18 months of probation despite a risk of up to five years in prison. In response, Manuel said that he hopes Moore gets the help he needs and becomes a better person moving forward.

"I want Sherrone to get through this and to move forward for him and his family, and so I don't have a reaction to the sentencing itself, more of a reaction to him as a person," he said.

"I want him and everyone who's affected to be able to get through it, to move forward, and to learn from it and to be better. That's the way I think about it. I don't judge any of the outcomes or the things that he's going through."

Manuel and the Wolverines moved quickly to find their replacement for Moore. They ultimately hired Kyle Whittingham, who despite being 66 years old, spent the last two decades turning Utah into a premier football program.

Several months later, Dusty May delivered Manuel the first basketball national title that the program had enjoyed in over 30 years.

Despite the setbacks Manuel has faced as athletic director, the school seems to be exactly where they want to be.

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This story was originally published April 22, 2026 at 10:11 AM.