A lack of leadership accountability, a weak organization and “barriers” for reporting issues all contributed to the University of Michigan athletic department’s problems over the years, including former head football coach Sherrone Moore’s inappropriate relationship with his direct subordinate, the review of the department found.
The university-authorized “culture review,” done by the Chicago-based law firm Jenner & Block, found misconduct was not “widespread” throughout the department. However, the misconduct that happened wasn’t always dealt with “consistently, promptly, or in accordance with University expectations,” the university said.
The law firm’s findings were not compiled into a report and released to the public.
No public personnel actions were announced as a result of the report, something President Domenico Grasso committed to doing if needed when it was authorized in December. However, Athletic Director Warde Manuel, who’s ultimately charged with the oversight of the department, told Grasso he’d like to step down at the end of the year.
While Grasso accepted the resignation, he said in a video message to the Michigan community that Manuel would serve as “special adviser” to the president while the firm’s findings were implemented.
The “culture review” lasted for about four months and cost the university $12 million. Nearly 300 witnesses, including coaches, athletics staff, student athletes, university leaders and human resources personnel, were interviewed. The firm looked at over 20,000 documents during the review, the university said.
Despite the amount of material covered, the university said no comprehensive investigative report was conducted or written — and that the Board of Regents were briefed verbally on the findings and specifics of the report. Michigan explained why it wasn’t releasing a report to the public.
“Maintaining the confidentiality of the investigation protects the privacy of the members of our community who participated, promotes the willingness of witnesses to participate in any future investigations by allaying concerns relating to privacy or risk of retaliation, preserves investigative integrity, and protects the attorney-client privilege that covers the investigation,” university officials said.
Investigation’s findings and recommendations
While the firm’s “culture review” found that department leadership consistently communicated the importance of integrity, compliance and accountability, the department leadership needed to respond faster, more consistently and in line with “university expectations” when potential misconduct was raised.
However, the review found some employees and student-athletes were reluctant to report concerns. The firm recommended the athletic department strengthen reporting processes, protect individuals who raise concerns and reinforce a culture that “encourages speaking up.”
The review of the firing of Moore and his relationship with his assistant Paige Shiver found that no “current” employee had direct, contemporaneous evidence of the relationship. Regarding Manuel, the firm found he failed “to quickly and effectively act on allegations of wrongdoing.”
The firm recommended improvements in six areas: compliance; human resources; investigative policies and procedures; reporting and escalating concerns; athletics leadership and organizational structure; and student-athlete health and wellness support.
The university said it will strengthen the independence, visibility and power of its compliance function to reinforce institutional accountability and will consider the creation of a C-Suite level officer for compliance to lead the Ethics, Integrity, and Compliance Office. This new official will review reporting relationships, so athletics compliance has greater institutional independence while continuing to support the Department of Athletics, according to Michigan.
It will also review the reporting structures and pursue enhanced hiring, onboarding and offboarding practices in the Athletic Department’s human resources office. This includes incorporating student-athlete feedback and key performance indicators into coaching evaluations, strengthening performance management, establishing a formal progressive discipline policy with clearly defined expectations and termination protocols, and using exit interview data to identify organizational trends and opportunities for improvement, the university said.
Michigan said it will also create “consistent investigative policies and procedures based on best practices.” This includes standardized investigative protocols, documentation requirements, and expectations for truthful cooperation with investigations. The university will evaluate policies governing investigators’ access to relevant information and work-related personal devices, when appropriate, in connection with credible allegations of misconduct.
The university said it will strengthen the processes for identifying, reporting, evaluating, escalating and documenting concerns involving student-athlete health and safety, NCAA compliance, human resources matters, and other significant issues, including creating clear reporting expectations, defined investigative paths, formal escalation procedures for matters involving senior leaders, and centralized documentation and tracking of investigations and their outcomes.
For leadership accountability, the University of Michigan said it will clearly define the responsibilities of sport administrators, enhancing oversight across all athletics programs and reinforcing expectations regarding accountability, integrity and zero tolerance for retaliation. The university will evaluate whether the football program should have a dedicated sport administrator, increase regular reporting on the status of compliance matters and investigations to the president and board, formalize cross-department collaboration, require regular all-staff meetings and increase engagement with all athletics programs to ensure consistent oversight and support.
The university said it will also expand access to confidential medical and mental health resources, implement mandatory coach training on student-athlete mental health, nutrition and eating disorders, evaluate the creation of a dedicated eating disorder support team comprised of dietitians, physicians and counseling professionals, and regularly assess student-athlete wellness and nutrition needs to guide future improvements.
The university said it will consider creating a University of Michigan UM Athletics Board that would advise on matters related to the department, similar to the UM Health Board that oversees the university’s clinical systems.
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 inappropriate relationship with 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 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 relationship.
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.
satwood@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Michigan probe finds ‘barriers,’ other issues hurt Athletic Department
Reporting by Sarah Atwood, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Sarah Atwood, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
