ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Sherrone Moore, recently fired as the University of Michigan’s head football coach, “barged his way” into the apartment of a woman with whom he had been having an affair and threatened to kill himself after she reported the relationship to the school and he lost his job, prosecutors said Friday.
Moore was charged with three crimes, including felony home invasion. His other charges, for stalking and breaking and entering, are misdemeanors.
As he watched by video from jail, authorities laid out extraordinary allegations against Moore and provided details that answered a key question: What led Michigan to suddenly oust the 39-year-old coach Wednesday after his second season at the helm of the storied Wolverines football program?
Moore and the woman had been having an affair “for a number of years” before she ended the relationship Monday, said Kati Rezmierski, Washtenaw County first assistant prosecutor. Moore repeatedly called the woman and texted her, but she refused to respond, Rezmierski explained.
“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.
Moore was dismissed for an inappropriate relationship with a staff member, the school announced Wednesday via a release without offering details.
Shortly after losing his job, Moore stormed into the woman’s apartment, “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.
A not-guilty plea was entered on Moore’s behalf by District Court Magistrate Odetalla Odetalla, 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.
The court hearing was held less than five miles from Michigan Stadium where Moore, who is married and has three children, coached his last game against Big Ten rival Ohio State in front of more than 100,000 fans on Nov. 29.
It was the regular-season finale for both teams, but reigning national champion Ohio State, which won 27-9 in Ann Arbor, moved on to the Big Ten title game. The Buckeyes lost that matchup to Indiana, 13-10, to fall to 12-1 this season but are moving on the College Football Playoff as the No. 2 seed in the 12-team bracket.
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. He added that Moore would “absolutely comply” with the judge’s order for an additional evaluation. Moore must wear a GPS tracking device, stay in Michigan and abstain from alcohol. The next court hearing was set for Jan. 22.
“There’s no evidence to suggest he’s a threat,” Simon said.
Moore signed a five-year contract with a base annual salary of $5.5 million last year. According to the terms of his deal, the university will not have to buy out the remaining years of his contract because he was fired for cause.
Moore, the team’s former offensive coordinator, was promoted to lead the Wolverines after they won the final four-team edition of the College Football Playoff during a 15-0 national championship run in the 2023 season. He succeeded Jim Harbaugh, who had been the head coach at his alma mater for nine seasons but returned to the NFL to lead the Los Angeles Chargers.
Michigan (9-3) is set to play No. 14 Texas (9-3), a Southeastern Conference program, in the Citrus Bowl on Dec. 31 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. Biff Poggi, who filled in for Moore when he was suspended earlier this season in relation to a sign-stealing scandal from Harbaugh’s tenure, will serve as interim coach.
While the school seeks a new head coach, the Wolverines may lose players in the NCAA transfer portal this winter, and donors who help fund revenue-sharing and NIL deals may hesitate to invest in the program with more wins than any other in college football history.