Fired Michigan coach Sherrone Moore was ‘suicidal’ after cops called to executive assistant’s apartment
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Sherrone Moore, the lauded head coach of the University of Michigan’s storied football program, threw away his $30 million career when his affair with his assistant came to light — a scandal that was capped by his stunning arrest over allegations of assault.
The 39-year-old married dad of three’s promising career quickly came to a crashing end Wednesday. He was booted as Michigan’s head coach that afternoon and, within the same hour, he was busted on criminal charges for allegedly breaking into the home of his executive assistant, Paige Shiver, with a knife in hand.
Moore — the first black head coach in Michigan history — is now cooling his heels in Washtenaw County jail on suspicion of assault charges.
The shocking news came just days after Moore had spoken with reporters as the No. 18-ranked Wolverines began to prepare for the Citrus Bowl later this month, and it caught the college football world by surprise.
The stunning developments on Thursday included:
- Moore was reported to be “suicidal” and had a knife after he went to Shiver’s apartment following his firing.
- He remained in jail Thursday, with a first court appearance scheduled for Friday.
- Shiver, 32, was given a 55% raise to $90,000 last year.
- The university previously investigated claims of his “inappropriate relationship” with a staffer, but he denied it, according to reports.
- He was fired when the staffer came forward with evidence of the affair after he axed her, according to the claims.
- Michigan football insiders reported that Moore had “been acting strange, berating assistant coaches,” according to ESPN.
A female caller reported to a 911 dispatcher that Moore was armed with a knife and had been stalking her “for months,” according to police audio obtained by The Post.
“Male at the location is attacking her … said he’s been stalking her for months,” a male voice can be heard saying in the audio.
The audio also indicated Moore had threatened to harm himself during the alleged exchange, after which he fled on foot and was arrested at a nearby church.
The dispatcher said the caller reported Moore had brandished a knife before throwing down the weapon and running away.
“It’s gonna be at the Well Church, 211 Willis Road … suicidal … driving a black Chevy Tahoe blacked out,” the Washtenaw County police dispatcher can be heard saying a short time later.
Here’s the latest on former Michigan coach Sherrone Moore
The call came from Shiver’s Ann Arbor address, according to public records, though it was not immediately clear if she was the victim.
Cops in Pittsfield Township confirmed Wednesday that they were investigating an alleged assault, but didn’t explicitly say Moore was involved.
“The incident does not appear to be random in nature, and there appears to be no ongoing threat to the community,” the statement from the Pittsfield police department read.
No formal charges were filed as of Thursday night.
“The matter involving Mr. Moore remains under active investigation by law enforcement, and as a result, we do not expect charging decisions or an arraignment today,” Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit said in a statement, and confirmed he remained in custody.
Moore — who married his wife, Kelli, in 2015 and has three daughters — was fired “with cause” by the university on Wednesday after it came out that he had an “inappropriate” relationship with a staff member who has not been publicly identified.
Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel announced Moore’s firing just a few hours before his arrest on Wednesday.
“U-M head football coach Sherrone Moore has been terminated, with cause, effective immediately,” Michigan announced 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.”
Being fired with cause could mean that Michigan has no obligation to pay out the remaining estimated $14.5 million to $16 million on Moore’s contract.
It’s unclear how long the university had been looking into the relationship between the football coach and the staff member, but Moore had been doing media interviews as recently as Tuesday, when he held a press conference and did a one-on-one interview with WXYZ Detroit.
Under Moore’s tenure, his assistant, Shiver, saw her salary jump from $58,025 in 2024 to $90,000, without any apparent change in job title, according to publicly available figures on college employee salaries.
The scene that played out in the dispatcher audio closely mirrored a bombshell local TV interview with John Bacon, a University of Michigan instructor and author with deep ties to the school’s illustrious football program.
Bacon claimed Moore “broke into an employee’s home in Pittsfield Township … grabbed a knife, and threatened to harm her and harm himself.”
According to Bacon, Moore is in protective custody “surrounded by mental health professionals.”
Even before his shocking firing, the state of Moore’s mental health was being eyed with growing concern within the university.
Moore had recently been acting “strange,” according to ESPN, with college football reporter Pete Thamel writing that the situation had been “percolating” for the last few weeks.
“There had been a lot of uneasiness on the Michigan staff, sources had told me Sherrone Moore had been acting strange, berating assistant coaches, not acting in a normal way,” Thamel said Wednesday on “SportsCenter” after Michigan brought down the ax.
Despite the suddenness of Michigan’s announcement, ESPN college football analyst Josh Pate claimed that speculation about Moore’s future had been swirling for “weeks and weeks.”
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