Michigan football has had more than a few issues in recent years. The university has now decided to take a broader look into the situation.
Via Dan Wetzel and Pete Thamel of ESPN.com, confirming a report from the Detroit News, Michigan has hired outside lawyers to conduct a “full investigation into the practices and culture of its athletic department.”
The Chicago-based firm Jenner & Block will handle the probe. It has recently investigated whether former Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. Per ESPN.com, that probe began earlier this year, after the school received an anonymous tip. Both Moore and the staff member initially denied the existence of a relationship, prompting a closer look. On Wednesday, the staff member confirmed the existence of the relationship, prompting Moore’s firing and the criminal misconduct in which Moore allegedly engaged thereafter.
Other incidents in recent years included multiple NCAA allegations against former football coach Jim Harbaugh, who received a 10-year show cause order from the NCAA earlier this year, the Connor Stalions sign-stealing scandal, and the Matt Weiss hacking scandal, which has resulted in the criminal prosecution of Weiss and civil litigation against multiple parties, including Michigan.
The Stalions incident resulted in four years of probation for the football program, and fines in excess of $30 million.
A full report regarding the things about which the public knows and whatever the law firm may uncover will make things uncomfortable for athletic director Warde Manuel. He played for legendary coach Bo Schembechler, and Manuel has been in the position since 2016. There had been rumors in the immediate aftermath of Moore’s firing that Manuel would be dismissed, too.
That’s not the case, at least not yet.
The mere existence of the investigation is bad news for the person who has run the athletic department during these various scandals. Given the negative publicity that reached a critical mass with the firing of Moore, a change may be necessary — and inevitable.