Michigan AD Warde Manuel pushes back on job status reports

Warde Manuel's time at Michigan has been complicated 

It's worth noting here that Manuel could feel one way about his conversations with the president while the board feels another way.

The "amongst other things" Michigan's regents are expected to discuss later this week is the school-funded investigation into the culture of the athletic department that Manuel runs. 

This investigation was commissioned in December after former head coach Sherrone Moore was fired for having an inappropriate relationship with a female staffer named Paige Shiver. 

To his credit, Manuel did fire Moore when he was told of the head coach's transgressions, but that was far from the only controversy at Michigan under Manuel's watch.

There was, of course, the Connor Stalions sign-stealing scandal that got former head coach Jim Harbaugh a 10-year show-cause order from the NCAA, which effectively bans him from coaching college football until August 2023.

There's also the case of former Michigan co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Matt Weiss, who was indicted on multiple counts of felony aggravated identity theft and unauthorized access to computers. He faces over 70 years in prison if he's convicted.

Manuel has never been personally involved in these scandals, though they have occurred under his watch.

The interesting thing is that Michigan has also experienced incredible athletic success in the Manuel era. The Wolverines have won national championships in men's basketball (2026), football (2023), men's gymnastics (2025) and women's gymnastics (2021) with Manuel as the AD.