ANN ARBOR, Mich. — A lawyer for fired University of Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore declared his innocence Thursday and said charges of home invasion and stalking were based on an effort by a staff member to get a financial windfall from the school’s “deep pockets.”
In a court filing, defense attorney Ellen Michaels responded to allegations that shocked the college football world in December. It also signals that Moore, who was fired for a relationship with the staffer and arrested hours later, is fighting the charges and wants the case dismissed.
“This Court is not confronted with a close call or a technical defect,” Michaels wrote. “It is confronted with a prosecution that never should have begun.”
Moore was abruptly fired Dec. 10 for having an inappropriate relationship and for lying during the university’s investigation, his dismissal letter states.
Authorities say Moore later that day entered the woman’s apartment, blamed her for the firing and grabbed butter knives and kitchen scissors while threatening to kill himself.