On Monday, Michigan president Domenico Grasso announced athletic director Warde Manuel will step down in the wake of multiple scandals at the athletic department, most recently the Sherrone Moore affair. Manuel will stay on until the end of the calendar year.
“I have the deepest respect for Warde and his countless contributions to Michigan, and have asked him to stay on until the end of the calendar year,” Grasso said. He will stay on as a “special advisor to the president” to help “implement” the reforms recommended in the wake of a report into the athletic department’s culture after the Sherrone Moore affair.
It is unclear what Manuel’s financial future will hold. Manuel’s annual base salary is $2.4 million per year, and his contract stipulates he be paid through his term or for 36 months if he is terminated without cause.
The news comes after a tumultuous week for Manuel and Michigan as multiple leaks suggested he was aware of an affair between former head football coach Sherrone Moore and executive assistant Paige Shiver—and did not adequately investigate the situation.
In multiple statements to media members this week, he denied that he had been informed the school was considering firing him, though he implied he had conversations about his future.
