Sherrone Moore firing: Adam Schefter gives new details on Michigan process, fallout

The bombshell news that Michigan has fired coach Sherrone Moore for cause took the college football world by storm on Wednesday afternoon. Michigan stated it had ‘credible evidence’ that Moore engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.

ESPN insider Adam Schefter joined SportsCenter on Wednesday with the latest. He shed more light on the situation.

“I can tell you having spoken to various members of the football program, the coaches were called in and told that Sherrone Moore was being fired,” Shefter reported on the air. “They then were calling in the team to tell them the same news and then a short time ago, Michigan athletics director Warde Manuel released a statement that you read a part of, where essentially it says that following a university investigation, ‘credible evidence’ was found that coach Moore engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. The conduct constitutes a clear violation of university policy and Michigan maintains zero tolerance for such behavior.”

Because the firing is for cause, it should allow Michigan to get off the hook for any buyout money potentially owed to the coach. While obviously not ideal to have an unexpected coaching change, that will at least soften the blow some for Michigan.

As the team gets ready to play in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl against Texas, it will do so without Sherrone Moore and with new leadership. That game is scheduled for Dec. 31, so the team is already in preparation mode.

“Biff Poggi has been appointed head football coach in an interim capacity effective immediately, and obviously there will be a lot more to this story that comes to the forefront in the days and weeks to come,” Schefter said. “But what we do know now is that Michigan becomes the latest school to join a long line of them to make a head coaching change in what has been a tumultuous season in college football.”

Several other high-profile programs have already made their hires this offseason. The Michigan job comes open after Auburn, Florida, LSU, Penn State and UCLA have all already been filled, among others.

The thing that will sting is that this appeared to come relatively out of the blue. Schefter provided more context on the timing.

“Michigan now will have to go find a new football head coach to take over for Sherrone Moore,” he said. “Sherrone Moore obviously will move on from the university. It’s been a difficult situation for everybody, people involved in the program are surprised. One staff member texted me that he’s completely shocked by this particular situation, but Sherrone Moore is the latest big-name college football head coach to now be out.”