Michigan football coach detained after being fired

TOMMY GILLIGAN / IMAGN IMAGES / NOV .22

Michigan Wolverines head coach Sherrone Moore watches from the sidelines during the first quarter against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium in College Park, Maryland.

The University of Michigan’s former head football coach was being held at the county jail in Ann Arbor, Michigan, early toay, according to jail records, hours after he was fired over what the university described as an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.

The exit of the former coach, Sherrone Moore, 39, on Wednesday marked an abrupt end to his career at Michigan, one of the highest profile jobs in college football and to which he was appointed only last year.

He was fired Wednesday after a university investigation found credible evidence that he had conducted an inappropriate relationship with a staff member in violation of university policy, according to Warde Manuel, the program’s athletic director.

It was unclear why Moore had been detained. When asked about Moore, the police in Pittsfield Township, south of Ann Arbor, said they were investigating a report of an assault Wednesday afternoon.

Police said a suspect was in custody in the Washtenaw County Jail pending review of charges by the prosecutor, but did not identify the person they had detained.

“Given the nature of the allegations, the need to maintain the integrity of the investigation, and its current status at this time, we are prohibited from releasing additional details,” police said in a statement.

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Police in Saline, Michigan, said they had helped locate and detain Moore and turned him over to police in Pittsfield Township “for investigation into potential charges,” according to ESPN.

The University of Michigan did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Moore was appointed head coach at Michigan in January 2024 after six seasons as an assistant coach, replacing Jim Harbaugh, who left for the NFL. He was the 21st head coach, and the first Black head coach, at Michigan, the program with the most wins in college football history.

When he was appointed last year, Moore said he had been “preparing my entire coaching career for this opportunity.” His firing came just weeks before a Citrus Bowl clash with the University of Texas Longhorns on New Year’s Eve in Florida.

Before he got the head coach job, Moore was the tight ends coach at Michigan from 2018-20 and then served as the offensive line coach from 2021-23. He was also a finalist in 2023 for the Broyles Award, which honors outstanding assistant coaches in college football.

Moore was acting head coach for some games while Harbaugh was suspended. Moore has overseen two wins over Michigan’s archrival Ohio State. In his first year as head coach, Michigan won eight games.

He was married in 2015 and has three daughters, according to a University of Michigan profile. His last game in charge was a 27-9 loss to Ohio State on Nov. 29.

Biff Poggi has been appointed interim coach, effective immediately, Michigan said. Moore’s exit could further throw a wrench into the program’s plans for the coming months, with the transfer portal scheduled to open in January.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

© 2025 The New York Times Company

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