Michigan AD Warde Manuel’s job is in jeopardy amid an internal investigation

Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel now finds himself on the receiving end of an investigation into the culture of the Wolverines’ athletic department.

The university’s board is scheduled to meet Thursday to discuss the results of the independent investigation and consider a response, sources told CBS Sports. Manuel is also considering his options, including retirement, the source said on Sunday.

CBS Sports has granted the sources anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation.

The Michigan board authorized Chicago-based law firm Jenner & Block in December to conduct an “open-ended” review of the athletic department amid the fallout from the Sherrone Moore scandal, a source told CBS Sports at the time. Later, the university’s president Domenico Grasso confirmed that the investigation will expand into “an independent examination of culture, behavior and procedures throughout our athletics department.”

Grasso said the school will “take immediate action” if the investigation reveals results that require further terminations.

“We will not rule it out, and any action we take will depend on credible evidence and findings, made through a thorough investigation,” Grasso said in a December video statement.

Manuel, who has served as Michigan’s athletics director since 2016, fired Moore on Dec. 10 after evidence of an inappropriate relationship between Moore and a subordinate was brought to the department that morning. Moore was arrested later that day after he entered the home of the employee, later identified as Paige Shiver. He was charged with home invasion, stalking and burglary.

Shiver, 32, said she endured “years of abuse, harassment and exploitation” by Moore and that the university failed to protect its employee. Shiver’s attorneys said in March that he “strongly believes that he may not be the only person who has engaged in inappropriate, coercive or abusive behavior” from Moore. Questions about the department’s widespread awareness of Moore’s behavior during his two years in office have fueled calls for a deeper look at the agency.

Moore eventually pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of malicious use of a communication device and trespassing. A Washtenaw County judge sentenced him in April to 18 months of probation and a $1,000 fine. The charge and other charges were dropped as part of a plea deal.

Manuel has presided over more turmoil than most athletic directors have seen in his career — a sign-stealing investigation under Jim Harbaugh, the arrest and firing of his football coach, a national basketball champion, a rejected bid for a private equity deal and an Amazon streaming deal outside of the Big Ten’s media deal that has fueled tension in the conference.

“I always aim to settle down,” Manuel said in May at the Big Ten’s spring meetings in Southern California. “Believe me, this is not something I wanted or wished for or expected. But I face it. My goal as a leader is to provide stability after dealing with problems that affect the entire department and my employees and students who are running. We have done that as a department and organization. I do not take this lightly. It is not something I have faced.”

Manuel promoted Moore from offensive coordinator to head coach after Haraugh left the NFL following the Wolverines’ first national championship since 1997. Moore went 16-8 in two seasons.

Utah’s Kyle Whittingham was hired in January as the athletic department tries to stabilize itself. Then, basketball coach Dusty May left the program in June for the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks after winning the national title in April.

Manuel signed a five-year contract extension until June 30, 2030, in December 2024. His annual compensation is $1.9 million.