The University of Michigan announced Wednesday that it has fired head football coach Sherrone Moore for cause, based on evidence he had an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.
The Detroit Free Press reported Wednesday that there were no public details about the inappropriate relationship Moore was involved in that prompted Michigan to fired him. Moore has been married since 2015 and has three daughters.
ESPN reported later on Wednesday that Moore was in custody in the Washtenaw County Jail on Wednesday night as a suspect in an alleged assault mere hours after his firing.
Moore was initially detained by police in Saline, Mich., on Wednesday and turned over to authorities in Pittsfield Township "for investigation into potential charges," ESPN's Pete Thamel and Dan Wetzel reported.
Pittsfield police released a statement Wednesday night saying they responded at 4:10 p.m. to the 3000 block of Ann Arbor Saline Road "for the purposes of investigating an alleged assault. ... A suspect in this case was taken into custody. This incident does not appear to be random in nature, and there appears to be no ongoing threat to the community.
"The suspect was lodged at the Washtenaw County Jail pending review of charges by the Washtenaw County Prosecutor," the statement continued. "At this time, the investigation is ongoing. Given the nature of the allegations, the need to maintain the integrity of the investigation, and its current status at this time, we are prohibited from releasing additional details."
"U-M head football coach Sherrone Moore has been terminated, with cause, effective immediately," Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel said in a statement. "Following a University investigation, credible evidence was found that Coach Moore 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."
Tony Garcia of the Free Press reported that Biff Poggi has been appointed head football coach in an interim capacity, effective immediately. Poggi served as the interim coach for the Wolverines this season when Moore served a university-imposed suspension for games against Central Michigan and Nebraska for his role in the Connor Stalions sign-stealing saga.
Related: NCAA Puts New Michigan Coach Moore on Notice Over Alleged Sign-Stealing Text Deletions
Moore was also suspended for one game during the 2023 season as part of a self-imposed penalty for recruiting violation and was set to be suspended for the first game of the 2026 season as a continuation of his punishment for the Stalions saga.
