Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel told then-football coach Sherrone Moore not to travel with staffer Paige Shiver in the fall of 2024, a full year before Moore was ultimately fired. This revelation comes from a Wall Street Journal report, confirming that administrators knew about the multi-year relationship between Moore and Shiver way earlier than many might have thought. The whole relationship ended in 2025, just before Moore got the boot.
Early Warnings Were Clearly Ignored
This wasn't some quiet whisper, either. The Wall Street Journal, citing law firm Jenner & Block's months-long investigation into Michigan's athletic department, laid it all out. Manuel directly told Moore that Shiver couldn't join him on trips. Get this: it happened two days before the 2024 season even kicked off, according to the firm's findings. Manuel even wrote a previously unreported note on August 29, 2024, on official Michigan letterhead, stating, "I told him I didn't remember if we had already discussed, but that she couldn't accompany him on trips." That's a huge warning sign, right? Especially when you consider Moore was an assistant on Jim Harbaugh's staff when the relationship reportedly started in January 2022.The Tumultuous Fallout of a Hidden Relationship
Moore, who took over as head coach after Harbaugh left for the Chargers in January 2024, was fired for cause in December 2025 because the school had evidence of his relationship with Shiver. The drama didn't stop there. He was initially charged with felony home invasion after allegedly threatening to take his own life at Shiver's house post-firing. By April, Moore, a married father of three, reached a plea deal, reducing his charges to misdemeanor malicious use of a telecommunications device and misdemeanor trespassing, landing him probation. Less than two weeks later, Shiver went on "Good Morning America" and blew the lid off even more. She stated other Michigan coaches knew about their relationship, which began in January 2022. Shiver also revealed she became pregnant with Moore's child months later, had an abortion due to a Pompe Disease diagnosis, and that Moore knew of her decision. The investigation also found she told Moore she went to a hospital for postpartum depression after the procedure and that Harbaugh "helped me get into the head person here," though Harbaugh didn't know the exact reason for her visit. After Moore was sentenced, Manuel said he felt "betrayed." Moore's coaching record at Michigan was 17-8 over two seasons, including two stints as interim coach in 2023. Warde Manuel recently told Yahoo Sports that "there are no plans for me not to continue to be the athletic director for the near future." But with this long-running investigation uncovering multiple prior allegations and the details about Manuel's early knowledge of the Moore-Shiver relationship, you have to wonder what else is going to drop. This Michigan saga is far from over, and the pressure on the athletic department is only going to intensify.This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.