Michigan AD Warde Manuel to step down at end of calendar year - ESPN

Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel will step down at the end of the calendar year, the university announced on Monday.

The school also released a summary of an independent investigation into the «culture» of the scandal-plagued athletic department, which concluded that issues there were not «widespread.»

Manuel, 58, has led the powerhouse athletic department for over a decade, a time that saw numerous national championships (including in football and men's basketball) but also NCAA run-ins, legal issues involving assistant football coaches and the 2025 firing of football coach Sherrone Moore for having an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.

In late 2025, the university hired the Chicago law firm Jenner & Block to investigate the Moore situation and additionally review the broader operations of the department. On Monday, it released an outline of the investigation that has already cost nearly $12 million. It does not plan to release any additional documents, according to a board of regents spokesperson.

«Neither the investigation nor the culture review found that misconduct was widespread throughout the department,» the outline stated. «The culture review found that weaknesses in accountability, organizational structure, oversight, and reporting created conditions in which misconduct was not always addressed consistently, promptly, or in accordance with University expectations.»

As for Manuel, a former Michigan defensive lineman under Bo Schembechler, the review concluded that he «demonstrated important leadership strengths, particularly his commitment to student-athletes. At the same time, [the review] identified failures to quickly and effectively act on allegations of wrongdoing by Athletic Department