With a fateful university Board of Regents meeting looming just two days away, Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel doesn’t know what his future holds. In the meantime, he’s trying to conduct business as usual.
“As it relates to where things are going to go, I’m not 100% certain yet,” Manuel told The Michigan Insider Tuesday morning. “It’s not taking away from me doing my job and what I need to do to drive success. How those conversations come together and when things are going to be declared, I can’t predict that.”
Manuel’s job is stated to be in jeopardy ahead of Thursday’s meeting, where Michigan leaders are expected to receive the findings of an investigation into the culture of the Wolverines’ athletics department and consider a response. The investigation comes amid fallout from the Sherrone Moore scandal. University president Domenico Grasso validated the investigation expanded into “an independent evaluation of culture, conduct and procedures throughout our athletics department.”
Manuel is stated to be “weighing his options,” which could include retirement, a source told CBS Sports’ Brandon Marcello Sunday.
“I have not seen the report, and I’ll leave it up to the president to determine (whatever) he’ll release about the report,” Manuel mentioned. “As it relates to my future, what happens in this world for whatever reason, people decide to put things out there about what the future is going to hold. I don’t know, I think I’ve been fired by social media three times in my 10 years here. I just move through it. To me, it’s nonsense.”
Manuel’s tone appeared a little less sure than it had been on Monday, told Yahoo Sports there were “no plans for me not to continue to be the athletic director for the near future.”
“The statement (Monday), when I was contacted by a reporter, was simply a reaction to calm things down,” he mentioned Tuesday. “I don’t know what the future holds. People are stuck on the word ‘near future’, that’s because I don’t know what’s going to happen. I know what I’ve been told and talked about, so that’s all I’m going to do is move forward.”
With four years left on his current contract, Manuel says he’s had “several” conversations over the last “six or seven months” about the future and various opportunities, including discussions about a buyout.
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 staff member was brought to the department that morning. Moore was arrested later that day after he entered the home of that staff member, who was later identified as Paige Shiver. He was charged with felony home invasion, stalking and breaking and entering.
Shiver, 32, mentioned she endured “years of manipulation, harassment and exploitation” from Moore and that the university failed to protect its employee. Shiver’s lawyers mentioned in March that she “believes strongly that she may not be the only person who experienced inappropriate, coercive, or predatory behavior” from Moore. Questions about the department’s broader awareness of Moore’s conduct during his two-year tenure fueled calls for a deeper institutional reckoning.
Moore eventually pleaded no contest to misdemeanor counts of malicious use of a telecommunications device and trespassing. A Washtenaw County judge sentenced him in April to 18 months of probation and a $1,000 fine. The felony and other charges were dismissed as part of the plea agreement.
