ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Michigan has quite a mess on its hands.
The storied football program is yet again reeling from scandal, this time with once-promising coach Sherrone Moore at the center of it.
Moore spent Wednesday night in jail after being fired earlier in the day for what the school said was an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. His ensuing arrest was related to an assault investigation, for which Moore is expected to be arraigned on Friday.
The development has left college football’s winningest school suddenly searching for a new coach — again.
“I’m so disappointed,” former Michigan defensive end Larry Stevens told The Associated Press. “This prestigious university and everything we’ve done through the years for Michigan, you just don’t jeopardize that. I can’t wrap my head around this.”
A snapshot of recent history might show great success for the program that has bested its archrival, Ohio State, and declares itself the “The Victors,” a fitting moniker for the 2023 season’s national champions. Underneath those feats, however, there’s been multiple scandals the school will have to contend with as it courts its next coach.
“Everybody who knew has to go because how many times do we want to be on SportsCenter for scandals?” Stevens, who played for coach Lloyd Carr from 2000-2003, asked in a telephone interview. “What we built, who we are, our legacy, how we’re viewed in the world, that matters to Michigan men. These activities turn us into the laughingstock of college football.”
The NCAA put Michigan’s football program on probation less than four months ago, stemming from a sign-stealing scandal, and Manuel has said penalties will cost the department more than $30 million.
Matt Weiss, who previously shared offensive coordinator duties with Moore at Michigan, was charged with hacking into the computer accounts of thousands of college athletes to find intimate images. A judge entered a not-guilty plea for the former Baltimore Ravens and Michigan assistant coach earlier this year.
And now, the Wolverines are scrambling to find a new leader for their shaken football team while navigating the fallout from firing Moore.
“We always heard from Lloyd that the expectation is for the position,” 1997 Heisman Trophy-winner Charles Woodson told the AP. “And for (Moore) with the role he played with his family and as head coach with assistant coaches and with the players, he did not fulfill the position.”
Michigan will be looking for a third coach in four years, shortly after a busy cycle that included Lane Kiffin leaving playoff-bound Mississippi for LSU.
Moore led the 18th-ranked Wolverines to a 9-3 record this year after going 8-5 in his debut season.
The 39-year-old Moore, who is married with three young daughters, did not return a message from The Associated Press seeking comment before he was taken into custody.
“I’m sad for all the families involved,” former Michigan athletic director Bill Martin said in a telephone interview.
Without a coach in place for next season, the team may lose players in the transfer portal this winter and donors who help fund revenue-sharing and NIL deals may hesitate to invest in the once-proud program.
While former coach Jim Harbaugh, who was penalized by the NCAA for rules violations, did lead the Wolverines to that 2023 national championship — their first since 1997 — they are not far removed from some lackluster years.
Harbaugh started 0-5 against Ohio State as coach of the school he once led as a quarterback. The program crumbled following Carr’s retirement in 2007 under Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke before Harbaugh eventually turned it around.
Michigan has to pick up the pieces again and search for a coach — while the school is also looking for a new president — as it attempts to bounce back from its latest scandal.
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