Winning at What Cost? Michigan Football and a Pattern of Controversy

In 2023, the Michigan Wolverines achieved their dreams and won the College Football National Championship. Shortly after, head coach Jim Harbaugh accepted a job coaching the Los Angeles Chargers in the National Football League.[1] With Harbaugh’s departure Michigan was left searching for a replacement, one they found in Sherrone Moore.[2] Moore was hired in January 2024 and appeared to be the perfect candidate to lead Michigan following their championship season.[3] He was one of Harbaugh’s closest confidantes, serving first as the tight ends coach in 2018, before being promoted to co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach in 2021, then receiving the call up to head coach in 2024.[4] Moore’s promotion to head coach was a historic moment for Michigan, as he was the first Black head coach in the program’s history.[5] Unfortunately, Moore’s historic career came to an end last Wednesday when he was officially terminated by the university.[6]

Unlike others in his position, Moore’s firing was not the product of this year’s turbulent coaching carousel. Early Wednesday morning reports, corroborated by a UM statement, indicated that Moore was fired following an inappropriate relationship with a female staff member.[7] Only a few short hours later, new reports claimed that Moore has been arrested following an alleged assault.[8] On Friday, Moore was officially charged with home invasion, stalking, and breaking and entering.[9] Prosecutors allege that after the staff member ended the relationship, which had lasted for multiple years, on Monday morning Moore sent multiple texts and attempted many calls to the woman.[10] The woman  went to the university to comply with an investigation and admitted the affair.[11]  After Moore was officially fired, it s alleged that he went to the woman’s apartment, entered without permission, and threatened his own life with several of the victim’s butter knives and kitchen scissors.[12] Moore reportedly told the woman that she ruined his life, and his blood will be on her hands.[13] 911 audio suggests that Moore had been stalking the woman for months before the incident.[14]

In recent years, the Michigan Athletic Department has been no stranger to controversy, making headlines for illegal actions both on and off the field. 2023 was a busy year for the department, with three major scandals occurring. First, Moore’s co-offensive coordinator Matt Weiss was fired from the school following allegations that he hacked over 3,000 student-athletes’ accounts to download their sexually explicit photos and videos, as well as the medical information of over 150,000 athletes.[15] Weiss was formally charged earlier this year and faces a maximum of 90 years in prison if convicted.[16] In August of 2023, the school suspended Moore and Harbaugh both for violating NCAA rules pertaining to recruiting athletes.[17] The school avoided formal discipline from the NCAA for the incident, but punishment for a larger scandal quickly followed. In October of the same year, news broke that Michigan had knowingly participated in a staff member’s illegal scouting of future football opponents’ signs.[18] The existence of the illegal operation, that cost approximately $35,000 over three years, was known by both Moore and Harbaugh, with both being suspended for failure to cooperate with the investigation.[19] The university also received a multimillion dollar fine for its involvement in the scheme.[20]

Jim Harbaugh has stated that he is still processing Moore’s situation.[21] Michigan, on the other hand, has already processed the situation and is looking to prevent any controversies in the future. The university has hired law firm Jenner & Block to complete a full investigation of its athletic department.[22] The move signifies an attempt to correct a dangerous culture in the department. Hopefully, for the sake of all students, athletes, staff members, coaches, and fans, Michigan can use the information to remove dangerous individuals and learn from their mistakes. As for Moore, he was released from jail on $25,000 bond with a GPS monitoring system and orders to receive counseling and not contact the victim.[23] He is due back in court on January 22^nd, 2026.[24]

[1] https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/sherrone-moore-coaching-career-timeline-university-of-michigan/

[2] Id.

[3] Id.

[4] Id.

[5] Id.

[6] Id.

[7] https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/47271571/ex-michigan-coach-moore-custody-county-jail-firing

[8] Id.

[9] https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/47287973/jim-harbaugh-processing-firing-former-oc-sherrone-moore

[10] Supra, note 1.

[11] Id.

[12] https://www.npr.org/2025/12/13/nx-s1-5643517/michigan-football-coach-sherrone-moore-charged-stalking

[13] Id.

[14] Supra, note 1.

[15] https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ex-michigan-football-coach-allegedly-stole-intimate-photos-3000-studen-rcna197360

[16] Id.

[17] Supra, note 1.

[18] https://www.ncaa.org/news/2025/8/15/media-center-overwhelming-evidence-shows-impermissible-scouting-scheme-in-michigan-football-program.aspx

[19] Id.

[20] Id.

[21] Supra, note 9.

[22] https://www.cleveland.com/osu/2025/12/michigan-hires-firm-to-run-investigation-of-its-athletic-department-after-sherrone-moore-scandal-reports.html

[23] Supra, note 1.

[24] Id.