Deadspin | Former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh reached out to Sherrone Moore: ‘It’s a tragedy’

Michigan’s athletic division is the topic of a brand new unbiased investigation to unearth particulars relating to whether or not officers and employees had information of the subordinate relationship that led to move coach Sherrone Moore being fired.

Moore was fired “with cause” final week when athletic director Warde Manuel cited “credible evidence” of an inappropriate relationship with a paid staffer. Now Manuel is on alert because the reeling Wolverines should decide proceed, dealing with urgency to rent Moore’s successor.

Michigan promoted Moore in January 2024 after ending a scandal-laced season in 2023 as undefeated nationwide champions underneath Jim Harbaugh. Harbaugh left to develop into head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, creating the opening.

Fallout from the most recent state of affairs surrounding Moore continues to broaden and features a huge window for all gamers to switch. The switch portal formally opens to all present faculty soccer gamers on Jan. 2, and NCAA guidelines grant gamers at packages present process a training change a 15-day window to depart for one more college.

Moore, who’s married with three kids, has not commented publicly since he was fired, setting off a dramatic chain of occasions and authorized entanglement.

Harbaugh mentioned Tuesday in an look on the “Dan Patrick Show” that he was capable of make contact with Moore and inspired him to “deal with his household.”

“It’s a tragedy,” Harbaugh mentioned. “The worst days of his life. Keep it together and take care of your family, that’s the message — and getting spiritual guidance, you know, is really critical.”

Current Michigan basketball coach Dusty May hasn’t related with Moore since he was fired however weighed in on the matter this week.

“The football stuff, obviously some poor decisions made across the board,” May mentioned. “Everyone involved is a human being and every decision impacts other human beings. And so, I just pray for families that are impacted and their lives and their children are impacted.

“I haven’t got the options to a whole lot of the world’s issues. But man, if all of us simply tried to be higher human beings, higher world civilians and what not, I believe we’d all have a a lot better affect.”

Moore first came to Michigan to be tight ends coach in 2018. He had been co-offensive coordinator with Matt Weiss in 2022, but Weiss was fired in January 2023 after an internal review found he “inappropriately accessed the pc accounts of different people.” Weiss was indicted on 24 federal charges in March 2025 for allegedly hacking into hundreds of private, student accounts of female athletes, accessing “intimate digital images and movies,” according to the indictment.

As offensive coordinator at the time, Moore twice served as interim coach during two Harbaugh suspensions in the 2023 season.

The 2023 season netted a perfect record, conference championship and the national title trophy, but the university is holding the bag for the significant cost stemming from allegations during that season. An NCAA investigation brought show-cause penalties from the NCAA for Moore and Harbaugh for evading or “deliberately deceptive” investigators searching for details of a sign-stealing effort by Connor Stalions, a now-infamous volunteer staffer.

Even still, if not for his most recent missteps, Moore, 39, could be preparing the Wolverines for a high-profile bowl game against Texas in Orlando. That assignment fell to interim coach Biff Poggi following Moore’s dismissal and arrest last week.

As Moore and the rest of the world learned of charges including felony third-degree home invasion and stalking and breaking and entering misdemeanors, the remaining staff and players were reeling at the thought of coping with a new reality.

“It has been a tumultuous time,” Poggi said in Orlando on Monday. “A whole lot of … first, disbelief, and anger. Really, what we’re in proper now could be the section of — the youngsters, fairly frankly, really feel very betrayed. And we’re attempting to work by way of that.”

Poggi was associate head coach under Harbaugh at Michigan from 2021-22 and was Charlotte head coach in 2023-24, going 6-16 before he was fired. Poggi was back in Ann Arbor this season and became the Wolverines’ acting head coach for two games in September while Moore served a suspension for his role in the sign-stealing scandal.

Poggi said he is doing his best to keep players at the forefront before refocusing on football and Texas.

“Multiple ranges of complexity that our younger individuals are coping with, our college’s coping with, our athletic director Warde Manuel’s coping with,” Poggi said in low, measured tones. “You know, our staff, our coaches and our children (too). It’s been … I do not know that you could put together for one thing like this. It’s been, I’ll simply say, difficult.”

Poggi indicated he has met with all of the players and their parents via Zoom on several occasions.

“The message has been listening, proper? I need to take heed to them,” Poggi said. “I need to perceive what the youngsters are feeling and what their mother and father are feeling. And so, a whole lot of listening. There has been a variety of feelings, as you may think about. We’re type of going by way of these steps. They’re not over but, and I do not anticipate them to be over for some time, fairly frankly.”

Michigan’s payout for the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl and a percentage take from the Big Ten postseason revenue share is owed to the NCAA, and the program could face litigation if it’s found university officials, administrators and others were aware of Moore’s alleged extra-marital relationship with a subordinate on staff.

Among candidates thought to be in consideration for Moore’s now-vacant post are Harbaugh’s defensive coordinator with the Chargers and a former U-M assistant, Jesse Minter.

“I nonetheless do not have my head wrapped round it,” Harbaugh said on the “Dan Patrick Show.” “It’s a tragedy, and simply praying for all involved. I like my alma mater. I like Michigan. But I like the Chargers, too, and I’d be doing a disservice if I wasn’t placing all my give attention to this sport. This is an important sport for us.”

Harbaugh told Patrick he is not involved in Michigan’s search for a new coach. Manuel is leading that initial search, and Poggi said he told players and recruits Michigan is hopeful a new coach will be in place Jan. 1.

Members of the University of Michigan Board of Regents met with Manuel last Thursday (Dec. 10) and some went public with thoughts on the matter, emphasizing transparency.

“The choice to retain Jenner & Block as an unbiased third get together to totally examine what occurred and the way it was allowed to occur is a vital first step. My expectations are clear: the findings of that investigation have to be made public,” regent Jordan Acker said in a social media statement.

“Transparency is important to restoring belief and assembly the expectations of the folks of this state, our college students, our school, our alumni, and everybody who believes within the values this college is meant to symbolize. Anything much less would fall wanting who we declare to be.”

–Field Level Media