Sherrone Moore

Introduction

Sherrone Moore was the head football coach at the University of Michigan until Wednesday, December 10, 2025, when the school fired him after his second season at the helm of the storied program. Two days later, on Friday, December 12, the 39-year-old Moore was charged with three crimes, including felony home invasion and stalking, according to Washtenaw County prosecutors. Prosecutors allege that after a woman ended a years-long affair with him and reported the relationship to the university — costing Moore his job — he repeatedly called and texted her, “barged his way” into her apartment, and threatened to kill himself. Moore watched his court hearing by video from jail and was released after meeting a $25,000 bond.

Background Information

Moore rose to the top job at Michigan from within the program. He was the team’s former offensive coordinator and was promoted to lead the Wolverines after they won the national title, succeeding Jim Harbaugh, who returned to the NFL to lead the Los Angeles Chargers. At the time of his dismissal he had completed his second season as head coach of a program that ranks as the winningest in college football history.

His final game on the Michigan sideline came on Nov. 29, 2025, against rival Ohio State in front of more than 100,000 fans at Michigan Stadium — the same stadium his court hearing would later take place just four miles from. Moore, who is married and has three children, signed a five-year contract with a base annual salary of $5.5 million last year. His tenure was not without earlier controversy: he had been suspended earlier in the 2025 season in relation to a Harbaugh-era sign-stealing scandal, with Biff Poggi filling in during his absence.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

The chain of events, as laid out by prosecutors at Moore’s court appearance, began with the affair. Kati Rezmierski, Washtenaw County first assistant prosecutor, said Moore and the woman had been having an affair “for a number of years” before she ended the relationship on the Monday before his firing. Moore repeatedly called the woman and texted her, but she refused to respond, Rezmierski said.

“Eventually she presented herself to the University of Michigan. Cooperated in some form of an investigation. As we all now know (Moore) was fired from his employment,” the prosecutor said. Michigan had announced the dismissal on Wednesday, saying only that Moore was fired for an inappropriate relationship with a staff member, without offering details.

Shortly after losing his job, prosecutors allege, Moore stormed into the woman’s apartment and “barged his way” in — “then proceeded to a kitchen drawer, grabbed several butter knives and a pair of kitchen scissors. And began to threaten his own life,” Rezmierski said. The prosecutor quoted Moore as telling the woman: “I’m going to kill myself. I’m going to make you watch. My blood is on your hands. You’ve ruined my life.” “She was terrorized,” Rezmierski said. These allegations were presented by prosecutors in court; Moore has entered a not-guilty plea and has not been tried.

Public Reaction and Consequences

The criminal case moved with extraordinary speed: less than 48 hours separated Moore’s firing from the charges. At the hearing, Moore watched by video from jail as authorities laid out the allegations against him. District Court Magistrate Odetalla Odetalla entered a not-guilty plea on Moore’s behalf, and he was released from jail after meeting the $25,000 bond. Moore said very little in court besides acknowledging that he must have no contact with the woman, among other conditions.

Defense attorney Joe Simon said Moore was taken to a hospital for a mental health evaluation after his arrest Wednesday and then returned to the jail, and that Moore would “absolutely comply” with the judge’s order for an additional evaluation. “There’s no evidence to suggest he’s a threat,” Simon said. Because Moore was fired for cause, the university will not have to buy out the remaining years of his contract, according to the terms of the deal.

On the field, Michigan turned to Biff Poggi — who had filled in for Moore during his earlier suspension — to serve as interim coach while the school seeks a new head coach. The Wolverines are set to play No. 14 Texas on Dec. 31 in the Citrus Bowl.

Current Status

Moore is out of jail after meeting his $25,000 bond, but his release comes with conditions: he must wear a GPS tracking device, stay in Michigan, abstain from alcohol, and have no contact with the woman. The court also ordered an additional mental health evaluation, which his attorney said he would absolutely comply with. His next court hearing was set for Jan. 22.

Moore has been charged but not convicted. A not-guilty plea was entered on his behalf, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. The accusations described here come from Washtenaw County prosecutors’ statements in court as reported by the Associated Press, and no court has adjudicated them.

Impact on Their Career/Life

The consequences for Moore have been immediate and sweeping. In roughly 48 hours he went from head coach of the winningest program in college football history, earning a $5.5 million base annual salary on a five-year deal, to a fired for-cause former coach facing felony charges — with the terms of that contract meaning no buyout of his remaining years. The case also caps a rapid fall: from offensive coordinator on a national championship team, to head coach of one of college football’s marquee programs, to a criminal defendant awaiting a January court date.

The program he left behind faces its own upheaval. While Michigan searches for a new head coach under interim coach Biff Poggi, the Wolverines may lose players to the transfer portal this winter, and the donors who help fund revenue-sharing and NIL deals may hesitate to invest, according to the Associated Press report. Moore, meanwhile, must navigate his criminal case under GPS monitoring, confined to Michigan, and with orders to stay away from the woman at the center of the allegations.

Sources

• ABC7 Chicago (Associated Press), “Fired Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore charged with home invasion, stalking” — source