University of Michigan Athletic Director Warde Manuel told The Detroit News on Monday that he is staying at Michigan amid reports about his future being in trouble.
When asked by text Monday morning whether he is staying, Manuel told The News, “Yes, I am.”
The 58-year-old athletic director’s comments came after national outlets, including ESPN and Yahoo! Sports, reported that a decision on his future could be discussed as part of the review of a broader investigation into the Michigan Athletic Department’s culture. One Michigan blogger reported that a buyout offer is on the table.
However, Manuel told Yahoo! Sports reporter Ross Dellenger via text on Monday, “The president and I have had several great conversations over the past couple of days. There are no plans for me not to continue to be the athletic director for the near future.”
Manuel was referring to UM President Domenico Grasso.
In December, the Board of Regents widened an investigation into former Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore to include the culture of the scandal-ridden athletic department after Moore was arrested after barging into his former assistant’s residence.
As the regents prepare to meet Thursday in Traverse City, they might discuss the findings of the $12 million investigation into the athletic department.
Paul Corliss, Michigan’s assistant vice president for Public Affairs and Internal Communications, disputed the reports. Corliss said, to his knowledge, no physical investigative report existed, and there were no plans to discuss Manuel or the investigation at the board meeting.
What led to the Athletic Department investigation
Manuel, who has led the department since 2016, has overseen four national championships and a litany of scandals and questionable behavior by coaches and athletic department staff for which he was responsible during his tenure. The most recent scrutiny of his leadership came after Moore was fired for lying about having an affair with his assistant, Paige Shiver.
In April, Moore pleaded no contest to two misdemeanors — trespassing and malicious use of a telecommunications device, with the malicious use of a telecommunications device the more serious of the misdemeanors. He was sentenced to 18 months of probation.
“I felt betrayed,” Manuel told The Detroit News in April when asked his reaction to what transpired with Moore. “It’s the best word that I can use. I felt hurt for all the staff and the student-athletes and the university, because it’s something that I had talked about as it related to the expectations of our employees in athletics and for the university.”
This incident, along with the way Moore’s firing was handled, sparked the university to retain attorneys with the Chicago-based law firm Jenner & Block, who were originally hired to investigate Moore’s relationship with Shiver. The university authorized the attorneys to expand their investigation to look at the “culture” of the athletic department.
In a December video posted online in a message to the university community, Grasso outlined that the university had expanded its Moore probe to “assess whether there may be related misconduct by others.”
Among the controversies was Michigan football’s sign-stealing scandal orchestrated by staffer Connor Stalions, which was investigated by the NCAA. Former coach Jim Harbaugh was given a 10-year show-cause order that would have banned him from coaching in college sports until 2038. Harbaugh “refused” to participate in a hearing before the infractions committee, the NCAA said in a release. Moore also served a two-game suspension this past season as part of self-imposed sanctions related to the sign-stealing investigation.
As part of a federal lawsuit alleging he was used as a scapegoat for the sign-stealing scandal, former linebackers coach Chris Partridge alleged that the university and its representatives, including Manuel and former President Santa Ono, knew in advance of multiple prominent scandals, including the Moore-Shiver affair.
A member of Harbaugh’s staff, Matt Weiss, who was promoted to co-offensive coordinator under Moore, is facing criminal charges that allege he infiltrated the personal accounts of thousands of college athletes and stole intimate photographs and videos from 2015-23.
Former basketball coach Juwan Howard struck a University of Wisconsin basketball assistant coach in the face after a February 2022 game. The Big Ten suspended Howard for the final five games of the regular season and fined him $40,000 — a punishment that was widely regarded as lenient but one that was endorsed by Manuel. Two years later, Manuel fired Howard after an 8-24 season.
Manuel also failed to take action against former hockey coach Mel Pearson after a report found various examples of misconduct by Pearson and “cultural issues” within the hockey program. Three months after he received the 70-page report by WilmerHale, a Washington D.C.-based law firm, the athletic director decided to fire Pearson in August 2022.
Other issues include his son, Evan Manuel, loaning his mom’s car to players, ending in basketball player Zavier Simpson wrecking a 2011 Toyota RAV4 while driving in downtown Ann Arbor in the early morning of Jan. 26, 2020. Police dash- and body-camera footage obtained by The News through a public records request showed Simpson providing a fake name, changing his story and eventually admitting the SUV was loaned out to student-athletes.
What will happen with the results of the Michigan investigation?
The university may not be required to release the results of the Jenner & Block investigation into its athletic department, and it’s not clear how the findings were disseminated to the regents.
Attorney-client privilege could be used to shield the findings, although the university could waive the privilege at any time.
Shiver, Moore’s former assistant, recently sued the university for withholding records related to its investigation into Moore and “wrongfully denied” six requests for records. She is alleging that among these records are emails between Manuel and Moore regarding an abortion Shiver said she had when she was pregnant with Moore’s baby.
Athletics not planned to be discussed at board meeting
Corliss said athletics wasn’t expected to be discussed at Thursday’s board meeting in any capacity based on the agenda, which was expected to be released Monday afternoon. However, the regents and Grasso are able to speak on any issue during their comment period.
At June’s meeting, Regent Denise Ilitch alluded to “the future of athletics” being discussed at the July meeting, but this appeared to be related to her wish for the university to start a women’s hockey program.
The board plans to meet at the Delmar Hotel in Traverse City at 8:30 a.m. Thursday. A livestream of the meeting is expected to be available.
What would a potential buyout for Manuel entail?
Local blogs and independent journalists reported Manuel is negotiating a buyout with the university. John Bacon, a longtime journalist and author on Michigan sports, reported on X that the university is preparing a buyout for Manuel.
Under his contract extension, approved in 2024, Manuel is eligible for severance pay in monthly installments for the period equal to either the remainder of the entire scheduled term of his appointment, ending in 2030, or 36 months, whichever is shorter. Manuel would be eligible for his full annual salary, over $2 million including additional compensation, for the next three years.
However, if Manuel were terminated for cause, Michigan would not need to pay Manuel the remainder of his owed salary.
Manuel and the university could also agree to a settlement amount that is different than the $2 million salary.
satwood@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Exclusive: Warde Manuel says he’s staying at UM despite contrary reports
Reporting by Sarah Atwood and Angelique S. Chengelis, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Sarah Atwood and Angelique S. Chengelis, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
