Sherrone Moore, the former head coach of Michigan’s football team, was held overnight by local police on Wednesday on suspicion of assault—just days after the university shocked fans by firing him over an 'inappropriate relationship with a staff member.'
The 39-year-old Moore, married to Kelli since 2015 and father of three daughters, was taken into custody at the Washtenaw County Jail after being arrested by Pittsfield Township police just after 4 p.m.—hours before Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel publicly announced his firing.
By Thursday morning, authorities had yet to file any formal charges against Moore.
Manuel’s statement cited "credible evidence" linking Moore to a staff member whose identity remains undisclosed, leaving many questions unanswered.
Late Wednesday, John U. Bacon—a university instructor and six-time author on Michigan football—revealed on X that Moore’s alleged paramour had handed university leaders 'irrefutable documentation' exposing the coach’s behavior earlier that day.
"The president and regents had seen enough, and Manuel fired him this afternoon," Bacon revealed, noting that Moore was placed under a mental health watch in the wake of his arrest.
Sherrone Moore steers his Michigan squad off the field after warm-ups, moments before they secured a commanding road win against Maryland on Nov. 22, 2025. Getty Images
In a sudden shake-up, associate head coach Biff Poggi was named interim boss of the 18th-ranked Wolverines, who will take on Texas in the Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Eve.
In a stunning twist unseen in 146 years of Michigan football, Wednesday’s events are poised to kick the college football coaching carousel into overdrive, coming on the heels of midseason firings at Virginia Tech, Penn State, LSU, and Florida.
Even with the suddenness of Michigan’s firing, ESPN college football analyst Josh Pate noted that rumors about Moore’s fate had been circulating for "weeks and weeks."
Sherrone Moore celebrates wildly with fans at Michigan Stadium after Michigan’s thrilling win over Ohio State on Nov. 25, 2023. Getty Images
“When they lost against USC [Oct. 11], clock was ticking, this was already bubbling behind the scenes by then,” Pate said on his “Josh Pate’s College Football Show” YouTube channel.
“This is one of those really interesting dynamics where there was a wild rumor circulating behind the scenes, and it was accurate,” he added. “This is what myself and several other people had heard a month ago … Let me put it this way: Agents [for potential coaching candidates] have expected the Michigan job to be coming open for several weeks now. That’s been expected behind the scenes.”
CBS Sports reported that donors to the program had recently learned of the allegations against Moore and began tightening their purse strings on contributions.
Sherrone Moore shares a moment with his wife, Kelli. Sherrone Moore / Instagram
News of the university’s investigation began circulating in recent days, sparking mounting anxiety among Michigan football staff about their futures—one staffer told the outlet, "It’s hard to ignore."
Moore, once an offensive lineman at Oklahoma and later a coach at Louisville and Central Michigan, came to Michigan before the 2018 season—but he will depart as the Wolverines’ shortest-tenured head coach in 97 years, ending his stint with a 16-8 record.
In January 2024, Moore stepped in as Michigan’s head coach after Jim Harbaugh, fresh off a national championship with the Wolverines, left for the NFL to lead the Los Angeles Chargers.
Moore surveys the field from the sidelines just moments before Michigan faced Ohio State in Ann Arbor on Nov. 29, 2025. Jeff Kowalsky/ZUMA / SplashNews.com
Sherrone Moore shows his emotions on the sideline during the first half as Michigan battles Washington in an NCAA college football game.. AP
The Wolverines closed their 9-3 season with a 27-9 home loss to archrival Ohio State, a bitter finale that would become Sherrone Moore’s last game as Michigan’s head coach.
Moore took the reins as acting head coach for Michigan’s last three games of 2023 while Harbaugh served a sideline ban amid the sign-stealing scandal that rocked college football—leading the Wolverines to crucial victories over Penn State, Maryland, and Ohio State on their way to an undefeated championship season.
Moore had previously stepped up as interim head coach for a game in 2023, filling in while Harbaugh served a suspension stemming from recruiting violations.
