Michigan expands investigation after firing Sherrone Moore, AP source says

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Michigan expands investigation after firing Sherrone Moore, AP source says

2025-12-14 08:53 Last Updated At：09:00

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — The law firm hired by the University of Michigan to investigate former football coach Sherrone Moore's relationship with a staffer will continue its probe of the program and is prepared to expand its inquiry throughout the athletic department, according to two people familiar with the situation.

The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the details.

Michigan fired Moore on Wednesday, when the school said an investigation uncovered his inappropriate relationship with a staffer. He is married with three daughters.

The 39-year-old Moore was charged with three crimes after prosecutors said on Friday he “barged his way” into the apartment of a woman he’d been having an affair with and threatened to kill himself.

Athletic director Warde Manuel told the school's board during the season that he asked Moore and the woman if they were in a relationship and both denied it, according to the people familiar with the situation. They said Manuel told the board that he reviewed hundreds of text messages and emails between Moore and the woman on their school-issued cellphones and computers and did not discover anything inappropriate.

The school later hired a law firm to investigate the matter further and it began working on campus on Monday, when the woman did not show up to work, according to the two people. They said her attorney met with the firm on Tuesday and she provided evidence of her relationship with Moore on Wednesday, when Manuel fired Moore without human resources or campus police present.

Well before Manuel's inquiry and the law firm's investigation, a social media influencer outside the state contacted the school to express concerns about Moore's behavior, two people familiar with the situation said.

Moore faces charges including felony home invasion and stalking.

He and the woman had been having an affair “for a number of years” before she ended the relationship Monday, said Kati Rezmierski, a Washtenaw County prosecutor. Moore repeatedly called the woman and texted her, but she refused to respond, Rezmierski said.

Shortly after losing his job, Moore stormed into the woman’s apartment, “then proceeded to a kitchen drawer, grabbed several butter knives and a pair of kitchen scissors. And began to threaten his own life,” Rezmierski said.

The prosecutor quoted Moore as telling the woman: “I’m going to kill myself. I’m going to make you watch. My blood is on your hands. You’ve ruined my life.”

A plea of not guilty was entered on Moore’s behalf and he was released from jail after meeting the $25,000 bond. Moore said very little in court besides acknowledging that he must have no contact with the woman, among other conditions.

Defense attorney Joe Simon said Moore would “absolutely comply” with the judge’s order for an additional evaluation. Moore must wear a GPS tracking device, stay in Michigan and abstain from alcohol. The next court hearing was set for Jan. 22.

Moore signed a five-year contract with a base annual salary of $5.5 million last year. According to the terms of his deal, the university will not have to buy out the remaining years of his contract because he was fired for cause.

No. 18 Michigan is set to play No. 14 Texas on Dec. 31 in the Citrus Bowl. Biff Poggi, who filled in for Moore when he was suspended earlier this season in relation to a Jim Harbaugh-era sign-stealing scandal, will serve as interim coach.

The school is searching for a coach and hopes to make a hire this month to help it retain recruits and give players enough confidence in the program to stay out of the transfer portal next month.

EDITOR’S NOTE — This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org

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At least 2 killed and 8 hurt in shooting at Brown University in Rhode Island

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A shooter dressed in black killed at least two people and wounded eight others at Brown University on Saturday during final exams on the Ivy League campus, authorities said, as police searched for the suspect.

Officers were hunting through campus buildings and sifting through trash cans more than three hours after the shooting erupted.

The suspect was a male in dark clothing who was last seen leaving an engineering building where the attack happened, said Timothy O’Hara, Deputy Chief of Police.

Mayor Brett Smiley said a shelter-in-place was in effect for the area and encouraged people living near the campus to stay inside and not to return home until it is lifted.

“We have all available resources” to find the suspect, Smiley said.

The eight wounded people were in critical but stable condition, the mayor said. He declined to say whether the victims were students.

University officials initially told students and staff that a suspect was in custody, before later saying that was not the case and that police were still searching for a suspect or suspects, according to alerts issued through Brown’s emergency notification system.

The mayor said a person preliminarily thought to be involved was detained but was later determined to have no involvement.

“We’re still getting information about what’s going on, but we’re just telling people to lock their doors and to stay vigilant,” said Providence Councilmember John Goncalves, whose ward includes the Brown campus. “As a Brown alum, someone who loves the Brown community and represents this area, I’m heartbroken. My heart goes out to all the family members and the folks who’ve been impacted.”

The shooting occurred in the Barus & Holley building, a seven-story complex that houses the School of Engineering and physics department. According to the university’s website, the building includes more than 100 laboratories, dozens of classrooms and offices.

Engineering design exams were underway in the building when the shooting occurred.

Brown senior biochemistry student Alex Bruce was working on a final research project in his dorm directly across the street from the building when he heard sirens outside and received a text about an active shooter shortly after 4 p.m.

“I’m just in here shaking,” he said, watching through the window as a half-dozen armed officers in tactical gear surrounded his dorm. He said he feared for a friend who he thought was inside the engineering building at the time.

Students in a nearby lab hid under desks and turned off the lights after receiving an alert about the shooting, said Chiangheng Chien, a doctoral student in engineering who was about a block away from the scene.

Mari Camara, 20, a junior from New York City, was coming out of the library and rushed inside a taqueria to seek shelter. She spent more than three hours there, texting friends while police searched the campus.

“Everyone is the same as me, shocked and terrified that something like this happened,” she said.

President Donald Trump told reporters that he had been briefed on the shooting and “all we can do right now is pray for the victims.”

“It’s a shame,” he said in brief remarks at the White House.

Police were actively investigating and still gathering information from the scene, said Kristy DosReis, the chief public information officer for the city of Providence. The FBI said it was assisting in the response.

Brown is a private institution with roughly 7,300 undergraduate students and more than 3,000 graduate students.

Durkin Richer reported from Washington. Associated Press journalists Mike Balsamo and Seung Min Kim in Washington; Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City; Jack Dura in Bismarck, North Dakota; and John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, contributed.