Sherrone Moore spent his first night in custody at Washtenaw County Jail following a dramatic Wednesday that saw both his termination from the University of Michigan and an arrest for alleged assault.
The 39-year-old coach, married with three children, was fired by Michigan Athletic Director Warde Manuel after evidence emerged of an inappropriate relationship with a staffer.
Hours after the announcement, Pittsfield Police detained Moore at an apartment complex on Ann Arbor Saline Road.
Law enforcement responded to the 3000 block location at 4:10 p.m. Wednesday, arriving moments before the university publicly revealed Moore’s termination.
The arrest occurred on the same day Moore lost his $6 million annual coaching position.
Manuel delivered the shocking news that ended Moore’s tenure as head coach of the Wolverines.
The university maintained a firm stance on the violation of its policies regarding workplace conduct.
“This conduct constitutes a clear violation of University policy, and U-M maintains zero tolerance for such behavior,” Manuel stated.
The Athletic reported that an anonymous tip prompted the university’s initial investigation.
While early inquiries failed to produce substantial evidence, new information surfaced within the previous 24 hours that ultimately led to Moore’s dismissal.
Michigan has not disclosed the identity of the staffer involved in the relationship.
Moore married his wife, Kelli, in 2015, and together they have three children.
The firing comes at a critical time for the No. 18 ranked Wolverines, who were preparing for the Citrus Bowl against No. 13 Texas on New Year’s Eve.
Associate head coach Biff Poggi has been promoted to interim head coach for the bowl game.
Moore compiled a 16-8 record during his time leading the program. The team achieved a 9-3 record this season, though they fell to rival Ohio State.
His coaching journey at Michigan began in 2018 when Jim Harbaugh brought him aboard as tight ends coach.
Moore advanced to offensive coordinator by 2021 and served as interim head coach during Harbaugh’s 2023 suspension related to recruiting violations and a sign-stealing scandal.
The Wolverines won all four games under Moore’s interim leadership that season.
When Harbaugh departed for the Los Angeles Chargers after winning the 2023 national championship, Moore took over as the full-time head coach.
During his first season, Moore guided Michigan to an 8-5 record, securing victories over Ohio State and in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
Earlier this season, he served a two-game suspension for deleting text messages connected to Connor Stalions, the former analyst central to the sign-stealing controversy.
Moore’s 2024 contract extension ran through 2029 with an annual salary of approximately $6 million.
His buyout stood at $13.89 million, the second-lowest among Big Ten coaches with publicly available contracts. However, the for-cause termination could eliminate some or all of that buyout obligation for the university.
The contract details from USA Today’s college football salary database do not include USC and Northwestern, which do not publicly release such information, according to the Daily Mail.
The timing creates significant challenges for Michigan’s program.
The 2025 coaching carousel saw unprecedented movement, with major programs including LSU, Ole Miss, Florida, Penn State, UCLA, Virginia Tech, and Michigan State already securing new coaches.
Michigan faces a depleted pool of qualified candidates to lead one of college football’s premier programs.
Speculation has pointed to potential targets like Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer and Washington’s Jedd Fisch.
