Michigan athletic director makes decision on his future

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Michigan athletic director makes decision on his future

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated Jul 20, 2026 2:44 PM ET

The Michigan Wolverines are in the hunt for a new athletic director after Warde Manuel resigned following an internal investigation.

The Wolverines released a summary of their internal investigation into the athletic program on Monday. The school said it did not find evidence of “widespread” misconduct throughout the athletic department, but conceded there were failures in “accountability, organizational structure, oversight, and reporting” which “created conditions in which misconduct was not always addressed consistently, promptly, or in accordance with University expectations.”

The heart of the conclusion for Michigan athletics: https://t.co/Y4JW1BNiOY pic.twitter.com/nZlXXekrSN
— Dan Wetzel (@DanWetzel) July 20, 2026

Manuel said he would step down at the end of the calendar year, and issued a statement saying he would get to work on implementing the recommended improvements until that time.

Warde Manuel statement. pic.twitter.com/YWWQYrRqfm
— Ralph D. Russo (@ralphDrussoATH) July 20, 2026

Michigan’s athletic department has been plagued by scandal during Manuel’s tenure. Former football coach Jim Harbaugh was punished for alleged recruiting violations, and there was also the high-profile sign-stealing scandal that surrounded the football program. Things culminated with the dismissal of coach Sherrone Moore for an improper relationship with his assistant.

Manuel had been Michigan’s athletic director since 2016. He had previously played for Bo Schembechler on the football team in the late 1980s.

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