Michigan Wolverines head coach Sherrone Moore clarified the choice to remove several text messages from ex-staffer Connor Stalions. Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports reported that Michigan issued a 137-page document claiming that the NCAA’s accusations related to the sign-stealing scandal lacked credible proof showing that other staff members were aware of Stalions’ purported scheme. Six of the 11 NCAA charges directed at Michigan included Stalions. Moore faced one accusation for deleting 52 text messages from Stalions on the very day the investigation began on Oct. 19, 2023.
Moore served as the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach for Michigan in 2023. Moore told school officials that he removed the messages in a fit of anger and implied that he wanted to prevent a single individual from receiving credit for the team’s championship success. That season, Michigan triumphed over Washington to clinch the national title with a score of 34-13.
“I deleted all the information—everything about Connor—from my personal phone,” he stated in Michigan’s reply. “And it wasn’t about concealing anything; it was simply that I was incredibly upset with, you know, the kind of person who would do that to this program and these children.”
Stalions purportedly purchased tickets to upcoming games of Michigan rivals and dispatched individuals to capture the signals of those squads. Moore received a one-game suspension in the 2023 season after it was claimed that former head coach Jim Harbaugh reached out to two recruits during a COVID-19 recruiting dead period in 2021. Harbaugh faced a suspension for the initial three games of that season. Later in that season, he faced another suspension, which prohibited him from the Michigan sidelines for the last three regular-season matches.
Moore was appointed the interim head coach during Harbaugh’s second suspension that season. Following Harbaugh’s departure from Michigan to lead the LA Chargers, Moore was appointed as head coach. In Moore’s inaugural season as head coach, Michigan concluded with an 8-5 record, triumphing over Alabama 19-13 in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
