Warde Manuel appears to be gearing up to go after Michigan for every dollar he is owed in his contract with the university. It does not sound like he plans to step down, which would set him up for a multimillion-dollar buyout if he gets fired.
The situation in Ann Arbor remains fluid.
Should the university decide to fire its athletic director without cause after nearly 10 years of college football and basketball scandals, it would be expensive. However, an recent investigation could provide the Wolverines with an out.
Warde Manuel is not going to step down.
The University of Michigan spent a lot of money to hire an outside law firm, Jenner & Block, to conduct an investigation into the athletic department. The investigation is nearing its conclusion.
Michigan has a history of “scandals” that dates back almost a full decade.
- 2016 – Wide receiver Grant Perry pleads guilty to assault
- 2018 – Director of performance Fergus Connolly arrested for drunk driving, hit and run
- 2020–22 – Michigan settles abuse claims involving Dr. Robert Anderson for $490 million
- 2020 – Basketball star Zavier Simpson crashes athletic director’s family car and lies to police
- 2020–21 – Michigan breaks “dead period” recruiting rules during pandemic
- 2021 – Head basketball coach Juwan Howard threatens rival coach
- 2022 – Michigan fires hockey coach Mel Pearson over toxic culture allegations
- 2022 – Juwan Howard hits rival coach
- 2022 – Running back Donovan Edwards retweets antisemitic post
- 2022 – Defensive tackle Mazi Smith charged with carrying concealed weapon
- 2022 – Michigan fires volleyball coach Mark Rosen without explanation
- 2023 – Michigan fires football staffer Chris Partridge for NCAA violations
- NCAA clears Partridge of wrongdoing,
- Partridge sues athletic director Warde Manuel
- 2023 – Michigan fired co-offensive coordinator Matt Weiss
- Weiss indicted on federal charges for cyberstalking and hacking
- 2023 – Football scout Glenn Schembechler resigns for liking pro-slavery posts
- 2023 – Michigan fires football staffer Alex Yood over child solicitation scandal
- 2023 – Juwan Howard gets in altercation with strength coach Jon Sanderson
- 2023 – Warde Manuel hires Larry Nassar-linked gymnastics consultant Rhonda Faehn
- Warde Manuel reverses his decision after one day
- 2023 – Connor Stallions caught stealing signs
- 2023 – Blake Corum’s LLC ties him to Connor Stallions
- 2024 – Defensive line coach Greg Scruggs arrested for OWI,
- Scruggs resigns
- 2024 – Assistant Director of Player Personnel (and legendary quarterback) Denard Robinson arrested for OWI
- 2024 – Michigan instigates brawl with Michigan State
- 2024 – Graduate assistant LaTroy Lewis accused of sexual assault
- Warde Manuel allegedly ignores Title IX requirements
- 2025 – Michigan fires Sherrone Moore
- Moore arrested
Some of the incidents are worse than others. I might’ve even missed a few…