U-M Regents to Decide Fate of AD Warde Manuel
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- University of Michigan regents are expected to discuss a comprehensive investigation into the athletic department's culture on Thursday, with a decision on athletic director Warde Manuel's future expected in the coming days, sources told ESPN.
- The Jenner & Block investigation, which has cost over $11 million, was commissioned in December 2025 following the firing of head football coach Sherrone Moore for an inappropriate relationship with staff member Paige Shiver.
- Sherrone Moore drove to Shiver's home after being fired, confronted her, was arrested, and later agreed to a plea deal for misdemeanor malicious use of a telecommunications device and misdemeanor trespassing.
- Warde Manuel, 58, who has served as Michigan's athletic director since 2016, has never been personally cited in any departmental scandal and oversaw national titles in football (2023), men's basketball (2026), and both gymnastics programs.
- The Connor Stalions illicit scouting scandal resulted in NCAA penalties including an unprecedented fine exceeding $30 million, four years of probation for Michigan, and a 10-year show-cause order for former coach Jim Harbaugh.
- Manuel publicly clashed with the Big Ten over Jim Harbaugh's three-game suspension in 2023, calling it 'completely unethical' and 'an assault on the rights' of everyone in the wake of the suspension, before abruptly withdrawing a lawsuit five days later.
- Manuel's high-profile basketball hire Dusty May won the 2026 national title, but left for the Dallas Mavericks nearly two months after Manuel announced during the title parade that they had agreed to a deal to keep him — a deal that was never consummated.
Why it matters: Manuel has never been personally cited in any of the scandals but presides over a department that has absorbed NCAA penalties exceeding $30 million, fired its head football coach, and commissioned an $11 million-plus cultural review. His contract runs through 2030 at nearly $2.4 million annually, making any potential departure financially complex for a program simultaneously reeling from scandals and celebrating national championships.
