Ex-Michigan head football coach Sherrone Moore spent Wednesday night in jail after local police detained him on suspicion of assault, just hours after the university abruptly fired him over an alleged "inappropriate relationship with a staff member."
Moore, 39, who has been married to his wife Kelli since 2015 and has three daughters, was taken into custody by Pittsfield Township police a little after 4 p.m. He was then booked into the Washtenaw County Jail — just moments before Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel publicly announced that Moore had been fired. As of Thursday morning, he was in Washtenaw County Jail but no formal charges had been filed as of now.
Jailed for Assault
Manuel said the university had uncovered "credible evidence" of Moore's inappropriate relationship with the staff member, whose identity has not been released. John U. Bacon — a University of Michigan instructor and author of several books on the school's storied football program — wrote on X late Wednesday that the woman involved had provided university officials with "clear, undeniable documentation" earlier that day outlining Moore's behavior.
"The president and regents had seen enough, and Manuel fired him this afternoon," said Bacon, who added that Moore was under a mental health watch following his arrest.
Associate head coach Biff Poggi has been appointed interim boss of the 18th-ranked Wolverines, who are set to face Texas in the Citrus Bowl on New Year's Eve.
The dramatic events of Wednesday — something never before seen in Michigan football's 146-year history — are expected to shake up the college coaching landscape again, especially after recent midseason firings at Virginia Tech, Penn State, LSU, and Florida.
Even though Michigan's announcement came as a shock to many, ESPN analyst Josh Pate said that questions about Moore's future had actually been circulating "for weeks and weeks."
"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."
Drama Intensifies
The University of Michigan launched an investigation into Moore after receiving an anonymous tip about his alleged inappropriate relationship, according to The Athletic. At first, investigators couldn't find anything to back up the claim, but new information surfaced within the last day that ultimately led to his firing.
CBS Sports also reported that some major donors had recently learned about the accusations and began pulling back on their financial support.
As word of the internal investigation spread in recent days, anxiety grew among members of the Michigan football staff. One staffer told the outlet, "It's hard to ignore."
Moore became head coach in January 2024 after Jim Harbaugh left for the NFL following Michigan's national championship season. Moore compiled a 16–8 record over his two years leading the Wolverines, including an 8–5 finish in 2024 capped by a ReliaQuest Bowl win over Alabama.
This year, Michigan went 9–3 before closing the 2025 season with a 27–9 loss to rival Ohio State — now officially Moore's final game in charge.
