A university-authorized “culture review” found a major lack of leadership accountability, a weak organization, and “barriers” for reporting issues within the University of Michigan athletic department, contributing to problems that included former head football coach Sherrone Moore’s inappropriate relationship with a direct subordinate. This isn’t just about one incident, it’s a systemic breakdown.
The $12 Million Probe That Saw No Personnel Actions
The Chicago-based law firm Jenner & Block dropped some serious findings, even if they said misconduct wasn’t “widespread.” The real kicker? When misconduct *did* happen, it wasn’t dealt with “consistently, promptly, or in accordance with University expectations.” And get this: **absolutely no personnel actions were taken** as a direct result of this report! President Domenico Grasso literally committed to doing that when the probe started in December. Talk about a curveball! This whole “culture review” took about four months, and guess how much it cost the university? A cool $12 million. They talked to nearly 300 witnesses, from coaches to student-athletes, and dug through over 20,000 documents. But here’s the wild part: no *comprehensive investigative report* was even written. The Board of Regents just got a verbal briefing on what went down. You kidding me?
Manuel’s Resignation And The Head-Scratching Twist
So, where does that leave Athletic Director Warde Manuel, the guy who’s ultimately charged with all the oversight? He told Grasso he wants to step down at the end of the year. Grasso accepted, but then pulled a move that has everyone scratching their heads: Manuel will stick around as a “special adviser” to the president while they implement these new findings. What?! The report specifically found Manuel himself “failed to quickly and effectively act on allegations of wrongdoing.” It also said leadership needed to step up and respond faster and more consistently to potential misconduct. Oh, and employees and student-athletes felt reluctant to report concerns in the first place. The firm laid it out: strengthen reporting, protect those who speak up, build a culture that *wants* people to speak up. As for former head football coach Sherrone Moore’s inappropriate relationship with his assistant Paige Shiver? The review said no “current” employee had direct, contemporaneous evidence of it. Still, the issues run deeper than just one relationship.
So what’s the deal now? The university is on the hook for implementing these findings, and Manuel, the guy who resigned over it, is going to be advising on it. You gotta wonder how that’s gonna fly with everyone trying to “encourage speaking up.” After spending $12 million, the real question is whether Michigan finally tackles these leadership problems head-on, or if this whole thing just ends up being another expensive report gathering dust. The future of accountability for Michigan athletics, and its reputation, is definitely on the line.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
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