The University of Michigan and embattled athletic director Warde Manuel have agreed to a buyout of the remaining years on his contract and he will step down at the end of the year, culminating a decade-long run with four national championships and a string of scandals.
The school said Monday the decision was tied to investigations into former football coach Sherrone Moore’s relationship with his executive assistant and a probe into the athletic department’s culture.
Manuel led a department behind this year’s men’s basketball title and a football program that won the 2023 national championship, but that wasn’t enough for him to keep his job.
Michigan won national championships while Manuel was the athletic director, but controversy and scandals continually emerged during his tenure. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images)
Manuel fired Moore following a law firm’s investigation into a relationship he had with a subordinate, and the school later chose to widen the look into the department; a law firm was paid about $12 million to do the work.
Manuel previously spoke to Moore and the woman about their relationship, both denied it was inappropriate and he went through their school-issued cellphones and email accounts unable to find anything that would allow him to fire Moore for cause, people familiar with the situation previously told The Associated Press.
The 58-year-old Manuel, who played football for the Wolverines under the late Bo Schembechler and was on the track team, was hired to lead the department on Jan. 29, 2016. He signed a contract extension at Michigan in 2024 that was set to run through June 2030.
He led a department with an annual budget of about $250 million, 29 teams, 950-plus athletes and about 400 staff members.
“Every day, I am thankful to work at this great institution and to represent Michigan Athletics,” Manuel said in December 2024.
The Wolverines won the national championship in football under former coach Jim Harbaugh as a sign-stealing scandal loomed over the program and Moore’s tenure.
They won it all in men’s basketball earlier this year with coach Dusty May, who later left to lead the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks. Michigan also won men’s and women’s gymnastics national titles under Manuel.
The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame gave Manuel the John L. Toner Award in 2024, honoring him for demonstrating superior administrative abilities and dedication to college athletics, especially football.
He represented Michigan and the Big Ten as member of the College Football Playoff Selection Committee and was chair during the 2004 season when the 12-team playoff format kicked off.
Manuel, who is from New Orleans, previously served as athletic director at UConn and Buffalo after working in Michigan’s athletic department in various roles from 1996 to 2005.
Reporting by The Associated Press.