Michigan fires football coach Sherrone Moore, citing ‘inappropriate relationship’ with employee

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan fired football coach Sherrone Moore on Wednesday after finding evidence of an “inappropriate relationship with a staff member,” a stunning end to his short, up-and-down tenure that saw the Wolverines step back on the field after winning the national championship and being punished by the NCAA.

“This behavior is a clear violation of university policy, and UM has a zero-tolerance policy for such behavior,” athletics director Warde Manuel said in a statement.

The announcement did not include any details about the alleged relationship. Moore, who is married with three young daughters, did not return a message from The Associated Press seeking comment.

The 39-year-old Moore was 9-3 this year after going 8-5 in his debut season.

Last year, he signed a five-year contract with a base annual salary of $5.5 million. Under the terms of his deal, the university does not have to buy out the remaining years of Moore’s contract because he was dismissed for cause.

College football’s winningest program is suddenly looking for a third coach in four years, on the heels of a busy cycle that saw Lane Kiffin leave playoff-bound Mississippi for LSU.

Moore, the team’s former offensive coordinator, was promoted to the Wolverines’ leader after they won the 2023 national title. He succeeded Jim Harbaugh, who returned to the NFL to manage the Los Angeles Chargers.

The 18th-ranked Wolverines (9-3, 7-2 Big Ten) will play No. 14 Texas in the Citrus Bowl on Dec. 31.

Biff Poggi, who replaced Moore earlier this season when he was suspended, will serve as interim coach.

Moore was suspended two games in his sophomore season this year as part of self-imposed sanctions for NCAA violations related to a sign stealing scandal. The NCAA added a third game to the suspension, which would have kept Moore off the sidelines for next year’s opener against Western Michigan.

Moore previously deleted an entire text string of 52 messages on his personal phone with former employee Connor Stalions, who oversaw the team’s sealing operation. The texts were later recovered and shared with the NCAA.

Just a few years ago, Moore was Harbaugh’s top assistant and considered a rising star.

Moore, a native of Derby, Kansas, didn’t start playing football until his freshman year of high school. He played for Butler County Community College in Kansas and as an offensive lineman for coach Bob Stoops at Oklahoma during the 2006 and 2007 seasons.

His coaching career began as a graduate assistant at Louisville before moving to Central Michigan, where he caught Harbaugh’s attention. Harbaugh hired him as tight ends coach in 2018.

Moore was promoted to offensive line coach and co-offensive coordinator in 2021, as the Wolverines rebounded from a 2-4, pandemic-shortened season and began a three-year run of excellence that culminated in the school’s first national title in 26 years.

He worked his way up the Wolverines’ staff, serving as interim coach for four games during the 2023 championship season while Harbaugh served two suspensions for possible NCAA rules violations.

Moore also received a one-game suspension that year in connection with an NCAA recruiting case.

Earlier in the 2023 season, Michigan State fired coach Mel Tucker for cause after he engaged in what he described as consensual phone sex with an activist and rape survivor. In 2012, Arkansas fired coach Bobby Petrino over a sordid scandal involving a motorcycle accident, an affair with a woman who worked for him and untruthfulness toward his bosses.