Warde Manuel, the Michigan director of athletics who will step down at the end of the calendar year following an investigation by a law firm the university hired, will receive a buyout of $7 million, according to a Saturday report by The Detroit News.
Manuel, who held the position for 12 years, will receive that payment within 21 days of resigning, according to Front Office Sports.
His decision to resign followed an investigation into the culture of the athletic department, a probe that began in December and discovered issues with leadership.
Manuel ran the Michigan athletic department when scandals involving former football coach Sherrone Moore and his inappropriate relationship with staff member Paige Shiver, former football staff member Connor Stalions and a sign-stealing scandal and former offensive coordinator Matt Weiss’ felony charges of unauthorized access to computers and aggravated identity theft
“Manuel demonstrated important leadership strengths, particularly his commitment to student-athletes,” Michigan said of the findings, according to CBS News. “At the same time, it identified failures to quickly and effectively act on allegations of wrongdoing by Athletic Department employees.”
Moore’s affair with Shiver and subsequent scandal prompted the investigation, with Moore fired in December after the inappropriate relationship was revealed and then he drove to Shiver’s apartment to confront her — allegedly holding a butter knife and threatening to kill himself.
He was arrested and, in March, agreed to a plea deal, which allowed him to avoid both a trial and more serious charges.
Moore pleaded no contest to malicious use of a telecommunication device in a domestic relationship and trespassing.
“While we took decisive action by terminating Coach Moore, we were also determined to learn if other employees should face disciplinary action,” Michigan president Domenico Grasso said in a video as the investigation’s findings were released. “To that end, investigators did not identify any current employee who had direct, contemporaneous evidence of the relationship. However, the broader culture review has identified serious concerns that require immediate action. These include failures in accountability; structural deficiencies; weaknesses in our reporting and support systems; and concerns about retaliation.
“This is unacceptable. We have significant work ahead to restore Michigan Athletics to its standing as a model program not only on the field, but also off the field.”
