Sherrone Moore is not scheduled for an arraignment and charges have not been filed, but the fired Michigan coach remained in police custody Thursday, more than 12 hours after being taken to jail.
“The matter involving Mr. Moore remains under active investigation by law enforcement,” the Washtenaw County (Mich.) Prosecutors Office said in a statement Thursday. “As a result we do not expect charging decisions or an arraignment today. Mr. Moore remains in custody at the Washtenaw County Jail.”
The Detroit Free Press reported the university investigated an alleged relationship between Moore and a paid staff assistant beginning in late October but did not find significant evidence until last week. At that time, the university hired an independent firm to conduct its own investigation to corroborate key details before Moore was fired on Wednesday “with cause.”
Per the publication, Moore, 39, was informed of the decision by athletic director Warde Manuel “sometime in the past 48 hours” before Michigan made a formal announcement in a statement on Wednesday afternoon.
The course of events that followed the public disclosure of Moore’s conduct and consequences by the university later Wednesday afternoon are not being confirmed by Washtenaw County. But the Pittsfield Township (Mich.) Police Department shared a statement that it was called out Wednesday afternoon “for the purposes of investigating an alleged assault … A suspect in this case was taken into custody. This incident does not appear to be random in nature, and there appears to be no ongoing threat to the community.
“The suspect was lodged at the Washtenaw County Jail pending review of charges by the Washtenaw County Prosecutor. At this time, the investigation is ongoing. Given the nature of the allegations, the need to maintain the integrity of the investigation, and its current status at this time, we are prohibited from releasing additional details.”
Earlier in the day, the Saline (Mich.) Police Department located and detained Moore before transferring him to the custody police in Pittsfield Township, according to public criminal scanners and department communications records.
Michigan fired Moore with cause citing “credible evidence” the coach engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.
“This conduct constitutes a clear violation of University policy, and U-M maintains zero tolerance for such behavior,” Manuel wrote in a statement posted to social media.
Manuel’s future at Michigan reportedly is under review by university officials due to a pattern of scandal in the football program.
Moore was retained in a promotion from offensive coordinator to replace Jim Harbaugh following Michigan’s 15-0 national championship season that was marred by a sign-stealing controversy.
For Moore’s role in the scandal — specifically lying to NCAA investigators and destroying text and email messages from purported ringleader Connor Stalions — he was suspended for multiple games and given a show-cause penalty that would impact his ability to be hired in college football at another program. Harbaugh and former Michigan defensive coordinator Jesse Minter left for the NFL and are coaches for the Los Angeles Chargers.
Michigan is still paying for the sins of the Harbaugh regime.
The penalties include the loss of postseason football revenue for the next two seasons and a fine expected to approach $20 million to $25 million, an estimate based on past Big Ten revenues. The exact amount depends, in part, on the postseason success of the conference.
The program was placed on four years’ probation and had a 25 percent reduction in football official visits. Michigan was fined $50,000, plus 10% of the budget for the football program, and must forfeit 10 percent of the cost of the scholarships for Michigan football players for the current (2025-26) academic year.
No. 18 Michigan (9-3) is scheduled to play No. 13 Texas (9-3) in the Citrus Bowl on Dec. 31, but the team’s long-term outlook was thrown into disarray on Wednesday.
Moore’s firing grants all scholarship players a 15-day window to transfer, and the official NCAA transfer portal opens again in January.
Moore finished 17-8 in two seasons as head coach of the Wolverines.
Assistant coach Biff Poggi will lead Michigan in the bowl game.
