Fired Michigan coach is hauled into police custody simply hours after the married father-of-three misplaced $30 million job over an inappropriate relationship with youthful staffer
University of Michigan head football coach Sherrone Moore has been detained by police hours after being fired from his job over an ‘inappropriate relationship with a staffer.’
Moore was arrested by police in the city of Saline and turned over to police in Pittsfield Township, according to ESPN. Daily Mail Sport can confirm that Moore is currently in the Washtenaw County Jail as of 10:00pm ET. No charges, bond or any information regarding an arrest has been made publicly available.
The married father of three was allegedly ‘involved in an incident Wednesday that required police attention, The Detroit News reported.
Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel announced the decision to fire Moore hours earlier. ‘This conduct constitutes a clear violation of University policy, and U-M maintains zero tolerance for such behavior,’ Manuel said.
The identity of the staffer has not been revealed – either publicly or in credible reports. Moore has been married since 2015 to his wife, Kelli. Together, they have three daughters.
An anonymous source told The Athletic that the school received a tip regarding the relationship, which led to the investigation. That inquiry did not initially produce evidence of a relationship, but ‘additional evidence came to light in the last 24 hours that led to Moore’s dismissal.’
Michigan has fired head football coach Sherrone Moore after ‘credible evidence’ was found that he had engaged in an ‘inappropriate relationship’ with a staff member
Moore has been married to his wife, Kelli, since 2015. They share three daughters together.
It is unclear if the incident is related to the ‘inappropriate relationship’ that cost him his job.
‘The City of Saline Police Department assisted in locating and detaining former University of Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore,’ the department said in a statement released to ESPN.
‘Mr. Moore was turned over to the Pittsfield Township Police Department for investigation into potential charges.’
Daily Mail Sport has contacted the Saline and Pittsford Township Police Departments for additional comment.
Moore, who went 16-8 as the head coach of the now-No. 18 Wolverines, was set to coach the team in the Citrus Bowl against the No. 13 ranked Texas Longhorns.
Associate head coach Biff Poggi has been elevated to interim head coach in the wake of the firing.
Moore was hired under former head coach Jim Harbaugh as the tight ends coach in 2018. He worked his way up to becoming the offensive coordinator by 2021.
In 2023, while Harbaugh was suspended in the midst of recruiting violations as well as a sign-stealing scandal, Moore served as interim head coach and led the Wolverines to victory in all four contests.
Moore was officially hired as Michigan’s head football coach in the 2024 season
Moore took over from Jim Harbaugh after he left for the Los Angeles Chargers job. Moore served as interim coach for Harbaugh amid a pair of scandals in the 2023 season.
After Harbaugh left at the conclusion of Michigan’s 2023 national championship-winning season, Moore was elevated to being the full-time head coach.
The Wolverines went 8-5 under Moore in his first season – beating rivals Ohio State and winning the ReliaQuest Bowl.
This year, while they couldn’t beat Ohio State, Michigan improved to a 9-3 record.
Earlier in the season, Moore was suspended for two games after he was found to have deleted text messages sent to Connor Stallions – the former Michigan analyst at the center of the sign-stealing scandal.
Moore signed a deal in 2024 that would pay him roughly $6million per year through the 2029 season.
His buyout was listed at $13.89million, according to USA Today’s college football salary database.
It was the second-lowest buyout among all listed Big Ten coaches – with the exception of USC and Northwestern, which are private schools and do not publicly disclose contract details.
However, due to Michigan’s move to fire Moore for cause, it’s possible they’d be off the hook for some – or all – of that buyout figure.
Earlier this season, Moore was suspended two games for his role in a sign-stealing scandal
Prior to Michigan, Moore played on the offensive line at the University of Oklahoma.
He then got his coaching start as a graduate assistant at Louisville, where he would eventually become the tight ends coach.
From there, he moved to Central Michigan for the same job. In 2017, he had the titles of associate head coach and recruiting coordinator added to his role.
The timing of this firing couldn’t be any worse for the Wolverines – not because of the bowl game, but because of the few available coaches they could hire to replace Moore.
2025 saw a much busier-than-normal coaching carousel – with top schools hiring and firing coaches left and right.
This season, LSU, Ole Miss, Florida, Penn State, UCLA, Virginia Tech, Michigan State and many more Division-I schools went out and hired themselves new coaches.
Now, Michigan is caught in a situation where the pool of suitable candidates who can match the ambition of this storied job is aggressively diluted.
Barring the Wolverines going out and poaching a coach who signed an extension this season, or convincing an NFL coach to move to Ann Arbor, it’s more likely than not that Michigan is led in 2026 by someone who is not of the caliber they need.
Two possible coaches who could move to Michigan are Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer (L) and Washington’s Jedd Fisch (R)
The firing may lead to some Michigan players, like quarterback Bryce Underwood, transferring
Possible candidates include under-pressure Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer and Washington head coach Jedd Fisch among others.
It may also have a massive effect on the construction of their roster. In addition to the transfer portal opening on January 2, the NCAA allows recruits a 30-day transfer period in the wake of a coach’s firing.
Among the names to watch to enter the portal include star quarterback Bryce Underwood, who Moore flipped from LSU in 2024 before the freshman had a standout season.
Moore is the sixth football staffer hired under Harbaugh who has had a run-in with police.
Former offensive coordinator Matt Weiss was charged with hacking and was accused by federal prosecutors of stealing thousands of private, intimate images of student-athletes. Weiss has pled not guilty to all 24 charges he’s facing.
Director of football operations Jim Minick and assistant coaches Denard Robinson and Greg Scruggs were arrested for alleged DUI.
Michigan’s former director of performance science, Fergus Connolly, was also arrested for DUI – but was also charged with multiple felony counts of assaulting/resisting/obstructing a police officer. After being transported to a hospital, Connolly allegedly attempted to bite someone.
