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Sherrone Moore’s legal troubles just took a major turn. The former Michigan head coach entered a no contest plea to two misdemeanor charges on Friday, according to ESPN.
He’s facing sentencing on April 14 in Washtenaw County District Court.
The charges Moore accepted are misdemeanor malicious use of a telecommunications device in a domestic relationship and trespassing. It’s a far cry from what he was originally facing. Prosecutors dropped the felony counts (third-degree home invasion, stalking, and breaking and entering) as part of the plea deal.
This whole situation goes back to Dec. 10, when Moore got arrested at the home of a woman who worked on Michigan’s football staff. Prosecutors said he entered her residence and threatened her with kitchen utensils. Just hours before the arrest, Michigan fired him for breaking university policy because of what they called an inappropriate relationship with the staffer.
Moore was 40 years old when this happened and had only been Michigan’s head coach for two seasons after taking over for Jim Harbaugh.
His lawyer, Ellen Michaels, pushed back hard on the original arrest warrant. She argued it had misleading information, especially about how Moore and the staff member knew each other professionally. A Franks hearing happened in February that pointed out some key omissions in the warrant. Those issues likely played a role in getting the more serious charges tossed.
Despite the plea agreement, Moore’s still got restrictions. The no-contact order with the staff member remains in effect. His attorney tried to get his tether removed after the felony charge got dismissed, but the court said no. They might reconsider later, but only after authorities interview him first.
Moore went 16-8 over his two years leading the Wolverines before everything fell apart.
Michigan’s looking into a lot more than just Moore’s situation. Interim President Domenico Grasso brought in Jenner & Block (a law firm out of Chicago) back in December to dig into the athletic department’s culture and how things are run. He made it clear they’re waiting on credible evidence before making any more moves.
The woman at the center of this case doesn’t work for Michigan anymore. Her contract ran out on Feb. 28, and the university didn’t renew it.
