Can Michigan investigation deliver after Sherrone Moore scandal?

Story by

Story by
Can Michigan investigation deliver after Sherrone Moore scandal?

Can Michigan investigation deliver after Sherrone Moore scandal?

Danielle Lerner, USA TODAY · USA TODAY Sports

Mon, Dec 15, 2025 ·

5 min read

About Our Ads

Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore's firing and subsequent arrest stemming from his relationship with a team employee is just the latest in a cascade of scandals to embroil the Michigan athletic department in the past several years.

The football program was punished for a sign-stealing scandal and recruiting violations, the men's hockey coach was found to have created a toxic environment, a football co-offensive coordinator was fired and federally indicted for stealing intimate photos of female athletes, and the men's basketball coach faced a Title IX complaint and was investigated for an altercation with a staff member.

And that's just the past three years.

To examine why this keeps happening, Michigan has hired Chicago-based law firm Jenner & Block, which opened the initial inquiry into Moore this fall, to investigate the entire athletic department .

If the name of the firm sounds familiar, it might be because of its previous ties to the university.

Jenner & Block also helped to investigate former Michigan president Mark Schlissel, who was fired in early 2022 after he was found to have violated university Policy No. 201.97 by having an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate — the same policy Moore is accused of violating.

Moore was fired on Dec. 10 after his ex-girlfriend, an employee of the football team, came forward to the university with proof of their yearslong relationship. Moore then broke into the employee's house and threatened to kill himself, according to the police report. He was arrested and charged with felony home invasion, misdemeanor stalking and misdemeanor breaking and entering .

1 /30

See fired Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore's career on the field

Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore shakes hands with place kicker Dominic Zvada (96) after an extra point against Washington during the second half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025.
Moore, the former Michigan football coach fired on Dec. 10 , 2025, was arrested hours after he was relieved of his duties.

(Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press)

Michigan coach Sherrone Moore cheers as he runs onto the field for warmup at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025.
(Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press)

Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore uses hand signal, 4-0, to celebrate the Wolverines' 4th straight win over Ohio State at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024.
(Junfu Han, Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore watches a play against Ohio State during the second half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025.
(Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press)

Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day shakes hands with Michigan Wolverines head coach Sherrone Moore following the NCAA football game at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024. Michigan won 13-10.
(Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch, Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore hugs athletic director Warde Manuel during warmup at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025.
(Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press)

Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore reacts to a play against Purdue during the second half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, November 1, 2025.
(Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press)

Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore shakes hands with Michigan State head coach Jonathan Smith after the Wolverines' 31-20 win at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing on Saturday, October 25, 2025.
(Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press)

Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore cheers on before a play against Washington during the first half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025.
(Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press)

Sherrone Moore, Michigan’s new head coach, smiles as he is surrounded by members of the media during a press conference inside the Junge Family Champions Center in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024.
(David Rodriguez Munoz, Detroit Free Press)

Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore walks around the field after team arrive for the game between Ohio State and Michigan at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024.
(Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press)

Michigan Wolverines head coach Sherrone Moore celebrates with defensive back Brandyn Hillman.
(Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Jan 19, 2025; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines head football coach Sherrone Moore fires up the crowd in overtime of the basketball game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Crisler Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
(Rick Osentoski, Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images)

Michigan Wolverines head coach Sherrone Moore leads his team onto the field for the NCAA football game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich. on Nov. 29, 2025. Ohio State won 27-9.
(Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch, Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Michigan Wolverines head coach Sherrone Moore prepares to take the field before the the NCAA football game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Michigan Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
(Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch)

Michigan Wolverines head coach Sherrone Moore on the sidelines during the first quarter against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium in College Park, Maryland on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025.
(Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images)

Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore watches a play against Purdue during the second half at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, November 1, 2025.
(Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press)

Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore hugs Washington head coach Jedd Fisch after 24-7 win at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025.
(Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press)

COLUMBUS, OHIO - NOVEMBER 30: Head coach Sherrone Moore of the Michigan Wolverines arrives before the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium on November 30, 2024 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images)
(Jason Mowry, Getty Images)

Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore shakes hands with USC head coach Lincoln Riley after 27-24 win at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024.
(Junfu Han, Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore walks towards the locker room as team arrive ahead of the New Mexico game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, August 30, 2025.
(Junfu Han, Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Michigan head football coach Sherrone Moore before the game between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Michigan Wolverines at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Oklahoma, on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025.
(SARAH PHIPPS/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore watches quarterback Bryce Underwood (19) during the first half of the spring game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, April 19, 2025.
(Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press)

Dec 31, 2024; Tampa, FL, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Sherrone Moore greets Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen Deboer after the ReliaQuest Bowl at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
(Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images)

Michigan coach Sherrone Moore leaves the field after a college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the University of Michigan Wolverines at Gaylord Family Ð Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025. Oklahoma won 24-13.
(BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN)

Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore speaks to the media during the Big Ten NCAA college football media days at Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas on Thursday, July 24, 2025.
(Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images)

University of Michigan coach Sherrone Moore celebrates after beating the University of Alabama on Dec. 31, 2024, in Tampa, Fla.
(Nathan Ray Seebeck/Imagn Images)

Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore fires up the student section during warm up ahead of the New Mexico game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, August 30, 2025.
(Junfu Han, Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore, center, speaks to players after the spring game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, April 19, 2025.
(Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press)

Michigan's initial probe into Moore, prompted by an anonymous tip earlier this year, turned up nothing after both Moore and the staffer denied their relationship, according to the Detroit Free Press . In November, the university retained Jenner & Block and last week authorized the firm to look into the athletic department's cultural issues in addition to Moore.

The investigation could have implications for Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel, who has been in charge since 2016 and so far kept his job through the fallout from Moore's firing.

How much will the investigation cost Michigan?

Jenner & Block's services aren't cheap. In the firm's Dec. 2021 letter of engagement to U-M from the Schlissel case, attorney Anne Cortina Perry listed her hourly rate as $1,250 in 2022 — not including out-of-pocket expenses, internal charges and costs for outside consultants. Cortina Perry noted the university would be granted a 15% discount on hour-based fees for paying its monthly bills within 30 days.

The letter said Jenner & Block's investigatory fees "are not in any way contingent upon its successful completion or outcome."

The investigation revealed dozens of emails Schlissel had sent from his university account to a female employee with whom he was in a relationship. Michigan ultimately agreed to a settlement with Schlissel that paid the ousted president about $925,000 in deferred pay and benefits.

The specific cost of Jenner & Block's independent investigation into Schlissel was not disclosed; however, considering the expanded scope of the current investigation and the likelihood fees are higher now than three years ago, Michigan could end up paying the firm hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions.

Michigan regent calls for transparency

Jordan Acker, a member of Michigan's Board of Regents since 2019, called for transparency in Jenner & Block's ongoing investigation in a Dec. 13 social media post .

"My expectations are clear: the findings of that investigation must be made public," Acker wrote in part. "Transparency is essential to restoring trust and meeting the expectations of the people of this state, our students, our faculty, our alumni, and everyone who believes in the values this university is supposed to represent. Anything less would fall short of who we claim to be."

The university did not immediately respond to an email from USA TODAY on Dec. 15 asking whether results of the investigation would be made public, but there is some precedent for at least partial transparency.

When announcing Schlissel's firing in January of 2022, Michigan's board posted his termination letter on its website along with 118 emails uncovered during the investigation. The full report from Jenner & Block was not released publicly.

Jenner & Block background

Beyond its experience with Michigan, Jenner & Block has a history of high-profile investigations and lawsuits.

The firm often represents private and public universities in internal investigations, Congressional inquiries, NCAA enforcement defense and Title IX and sexual misconduct litigation. Jenner & Block represented Northwestern in a wrongful termination lawsuit filed against the school by former football coach Pat Fitzgerald, which ended in a settlement reached this August.

Jenner & Block has a Culture Risk and Sensitive Investigations Group that works with clients in education and other industries. According to the firm's website, the group, "specializes in conducting nuanced investigations and reviews that uncover what is actually happening within an organization, including whether that on-the-ground experience is inconsistent with the direction from company leadership."

In March, the Trump administration targeted Jenner & Block with an executive order that attempted to block the firm from doing business with the government because the firm formerly employed a prosecutor who investigated the president's 2016 campaign. A federal judge ruled the order unconstitutional.

Lawyers from Jenner & Block are also representing Harvard in legal fights against the Trump administration over foreign student enrollment.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Can Michigan investigation deliver after Sherrone Moore scandal?

Mobilize your Website

View Site in Mobile | Classic

Share by: