Michigan head football coach jailed hours after firing for ‘inappropriate relationship’ with staff member

Sherrone Moore, 39, was the head football coach for the University of Michigan before the school says it found ‘credible evidence’ of an ‘inappropriate relationship’

The University of Michigan’s football coach, Sherrone Moore, was jailed just hours after being fired by the school for having an “inappropriate relationship” with a member of staff.

Moore, 39, was detained by authorities in the community of Saline just outside of Ann Arbor on Wednesday before being turned over to the nearby Pittsfield Township Police Department.

A police spokesperson told ESPN that an “investigation into potential charges” has been launched, but has not yet specified what the investigation relates explicitly to.

A source told ABC Detroit that the alleged assault took place at the home of an unnamed University of Michigan employee.

It was earlier widely reported that an internal school investigation found “credible evidence” that Moore had “engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.”

“This conduct constitutes a clear violation of University policy, and U-M maintains zero tolerance for such behavior,” Michigan University said in a statement seen by ESPN.

Head football coach for the University of Michigan, Sherrone Moore, has been jailed just hours after being fired for having an 'inappropriate relationship’ (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Student Lena Reeves told MLive that the firing was “pretty crazy,” but that she was not surprised because “it’s happening a lot with people in high coaching positions.”

David Lightman, a senior, said that accusations made against the Michigan Wolverine coach were “really disappointing.”

“He was given a great opportunity to be our coach, and he definitely did not take advantage of that opportunity and disrespected the athletic department and the school,” he said.

The team’s safety, Brandyn Hillman, simply wrote “wow” underneath a post about the crime on X.

However, excitement is building around the newly appointed interim coach, Biff Poggi. The new coach successfully led the team in two games this year, while Moore waited out a suspension related to another case.

“He seems very excited and that he just really loves football and he loves the team,” Reeves told MLive. “Hopefully that will help out our team and our school, and maybe we’ll have a better season next year and a good (Citrus) Bowl game this year.”

This was Moore’s second season as the head coach of the Michigan Wolverines (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Moore’s was set to wrap his second season leading the Wolverines. He took over the job the year after the previous coach, Jim Harbaugh, led the team to a National Title and then bolted for the NFL.

Moore served as offensive coordinator under Harbaugh and interim head coach during Harbaugh's suspension. The ex-coach was the University of Michigan’s first African American coach.

He is also a father to three daughters and has been married to his wife since 2015.

Initial reports about the arrest did not name Moore, with a statement from Pittsfield Township police simply stating that authorities had raced to an address to deal with an alleged assault.

Since Moore was named, Dave Portnoy, the founder of sports and pop culture media company Barstool Sports, commended the school’s decision to fire Moore.

“On a serious note there have been a lot of schools over the years who have looked the other way with scandals. I’d just like to say I’m proud that Michigan refused to do the same,” Portnoy wrote on X Wednesday.

“Sherrone broke the moral code and it cost him his job. It’s a hard lesson but it’s the Michigan Man Way.

“Leaders and best for a reason. Proud to be a Michigan Wolverine tonight.”

Associate coach Biff Poggi has been named as the University of Michigan’s interim head football coach (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Moore was also part of a sign-stealing scandal, which led the National Collegiate Athletic Association to impose $20 million fines on the University of Michigan.

Sign-stealing is when a sports team decodes an opponent’s hand signals. The NCAA bans schools from sending scouts to future opponents’ games and using electronic equipment to record signals.

Moore was given a three-game suspension for his role in the plot, which he was expected to complete next year. His team came out on top in the College Football Playoff in 2023 despite the scandal being exposed earlier that year.

The Independent has reached out to the Pittsfield Township Police Department and the University of Michigan for comment.