Michigan Regents to Exclude Warde Manuel and Investigation from Thursday Agenda
Amid ongoing litigation and speculation, the University of Michigan Board of Regents has removed the independent investigation into the athletics department and the employment status of Warde Manuel from its Thursday meeting agenda.
Sources indicate the University of Michigan Board of Regents will not discuss the findings of the independent Jenner & Block investigation into the athletics department or the employment status of athletic director Warde Manuel at its meeting on Thursday. The decision comes amid speculation regarding Manuel's future following the scandal involving former football coach Sherrone Moore and staff member Paige Shiver.
A university spokesperson confirmed Manuel remains athletic director with no decisions made regarding his future, while Shiver's legal team continues to pursue the release of the investigation's records through litigation. The board's meeting agenda, posted on Tuesday, does not include the investigation or Manuel’s employment, despite reports that officials have been orally briefed on the probe's conclusions.
The investigation was commissioned in December after Moore was fired for having a personal relationship with subordinate Paige Shiver. The scope expanded to include the culture of the entire athletics department, with the university spending more than $11 million on the inquiry. Interim university president Dominic Grasso previously stated the school would “act swiftly” if findings warranted additional terminations.
Shiver is suing the school to release the full $12 million Jenner & Block report. Her legal team has filed multiple Freedom of Information Act requests for investigatory files, including recordings of interviews with Shiver and her father, and communications with Moore. The university denied these requests, citing pending litigation and attorney-client privilege.
One specific request for emails between Manuel and Moore containing keywords such as “affair,” “discipline,” “pregnancy,” “baby,” and “abortion” was denied, although two responsive records were found but withheld on privacy grounds. The Wall Street Journal reported that Manuel and other officials received multiple warnings about Moore’s relationship with Shiver before Moore’s firing in December.
Manuel refuted reports of his impending departure on WTKA radio but did not deny having conversations about a potential buyout from his contract, which runs through the 2029-30 academic year. The university stated it spent more than $11 million on the Jenner & Block investigation, which also revealed that players and staff raised concerns about the relationship during the 2024 preseason camp.
