{"id":6540,"date":"2026-07-20T15:06:29","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T15:06:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=6540"},"modified":"2026-07-20T15:06:29","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T15:06:29","slug":"michigan-ad-warde-manuel-agrees-to-buyout-will-step-down-at-end-of-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=6540","title":{"rendered":"Michigan AD Warde Manuel agrees to buyout, will step down at end of 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"
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ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) \u2014 The University of Michigan and embattled athletic director Warde Manuel have agreed to a buyout of the remaining years on his contract and he will step down at the end of the year, culminating a decade-long run with four national championships and a string of scandals.<\/p>\n

Read more Chatham County Sheriff Mike Roberson retires after more than a decade of service<\/a><\/p>\n

The school said Monday the decision was tied to investigations into former football coach Sherrone Moore\u2019s relationship with his executive assistant and a probe into the athletic department\u2019s culture.<\/p>\n

Manuel led a department behind this year\u2019s men\u2019s basketball title and a football program that won the 2023 national championship, but that wasn\u2019t enough for him to keep his job.<\/p>\n

Manuel fired Moore following a law firm\u2019s investigation into a relationship he had with a subordinate, and the school later chose to widen the look into the department; a law firm was paid about $12 million to do the work.<\/p>\n

Manuel previously spoke to Moore and the woman about their relationship, both denied it was inappropriate and he went through their school-issued cellphones and email accounts unable to find anything that would allow him to fire Moore for cause, people familiar with the situation previously told The Associated Press.<\/p>\n

The 58-year-old Manuel, who played football for the Wolverines under the late Bo Schembechler and was on the track team, was hired to lead the department on Jan. 29, 2016. He signed a contract extension at Michigan in 2024 that was set to run through June 2030.<\/p>\n

He led a department with an annual budget of about $250 million, 29 teams, 950-plus athletes and about 400 staff members.<\/p>\n

Read more Volunteers join family searching for missing Fort Bragg soldier in Fayetteville<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cEvery day, I am thankful to work at this great institution and to represent Michigan Athletics,\u201d Manuel said in December 2024.<\/p>\n

The Wolverines won the national championship in football under former coach Jim Harbaugh as a sign-stealing scandal loomed over the program and Moore\u2019s tenure.<\/p>\n

They won it all in men\u2019s basketball earlier this year with coach Dusty May, who later left to lead the NBA\u2019s Dallas Mavericks. Michigan also won men\u2019s and women\u2019s gymnastics national titles under Manuel.<\/p>\n

The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame gave Manuel the John L. Toner Award in 2024, honoring him for demonstrating superior administrative abilities and dedication to college athletics, especially football.<\/p>\n

He represented Michigan and the Big Ten as member of the College Football Playoff Selection Committee and was chair during the 2004 season when the 12-team playoff format kicked off.<\/p>\n

Manuel, who is from New Orleans, previously served as athletic director at UConn and Buffalo after working in Michigan\u2019s athletic department in various roles from 1996 to 2005.<\/p>\n

Read more Spain\u2019s World Cup champions head home for a royal welcome and a parade through Madrid<\/a><\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP college football: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/college-football<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) \u2014 The University of Michigan and embattled athletic director Warde Manuel…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6539,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6540","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nMichigan AD Warde Manuel agrees to buyout, will step down at end of 2026 - Raleigh Moving News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=6540\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Michigan AD Warde Manuel agrees to buyout, will step down at end of 2026 - Raleigh Moving News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"ANN ARBOR, Mich. 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