The attention that former Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore has received in the last few months was underlined on Friday with another court appearance as he defended himself against felony stalking charges.
It was hard not to do a double-take on Moore as he walked into his latest court appearance holding hands with his wife, Kelli, and flanked by a pair of security guards as well as his attorneys.
Moore, 40 years old, was arrested in December on felony home invasion, stalking and illegal entry charges after he went to the home of a Michigan staffer following the school’s discovery of their affair, which led to Moore being fired.
Now, the case has come to a shocking conclusion — and 1 that will see Moore escape the most serious charges.
“As part of a plea deal reached Friday, former Michigan coach Sherrone Moore has pleaded no contest on two new misdemeanor charges — malicious use of a telecommunication device in a domestic relationship and trespassing — for an incident in early December involving a former staff member,” ESPN’s Dan Wetzel wrote on his official X account on Friday. “In exchange, prosecutors are dropping three previous charges — felony home invasion and misdemeanor counts of stalking and breaking and entering … Moore will be sentenced on April 14 at 2 p.m. in Washtenaw County Court. The malicious use of a telecommunications device carries up to a year in prison. The trespassing charge is up to one month. Attorneys unrelated to the case do not expect him to serve any time.”
Moore was denied a request to have his ankle monitor removed, although Judge J. Cedric Simpson said he would reconsider the order after Moore was interviewed by authorities.
Moore Trying to Score Major Legal Victory
Moore was hoping for a massive legal win on Friday and got it.
“Former Michigan Wolverines head football coach Sherrone Moore scored a legal victory Tuesday when a judge granted a request for a hearing to learn more about the investigation that led to criminal charges against him,” Fox News reporter Ryan Gaydos wrote before the hearing. “(Moore) and his lawyer, Ellen Michaels, have sought to have the case dismissed. Judge J. Cedric Simpson, who is presiding, expressed concern that a police detective didn’t disclose Moore’s employer-employee relationship with the woman when a magistrate authorized a warrant for his arrest. Simpson described it as a ‘glaring omission.’ ”
“Defendant’s due process may have been violated,” Judge Simpson said on February 24. “This was not solely this personal relationship. The magistrate should have been able to look at that.”
Stunning Rise to Becoming Michigan’s Head Coach
Moore joined Michigan as an assistant coach under Jim Harbaugh in 2018 and was hired as head coach to replace Harbaugh following the Wolverines’ undefeated 2023 season. It was a year in which Moore was acting head coach for 4 games while Harbaugh served a suspension, and ended with Michigan winning its first national championship since 1997.
The scandal that took down Moore’s career and saw him lose his reported 5-year, $27.5 million contract grabbed headlines across the country.
According to authorities, the female staffer Moore was having an affair with ended their relationship a few days before Moore was fired with cause by Michigan. In the ensuing days, Moore reportedly tried to contact the staffer through over a dozen phone calls and text messages.
Michaels said the communication was in relation to Michigan’s football program.
“It’s not stalking if the communication has a legitimate purpose,” Michaels said.
Former Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham was eventually hired to replace Moore.
From ESPN: “Michaels accused the woman’s personal lawyer of giving information to police to ‘villainize Mr. Moore and maximize the chances of obtaining a large settlement from the deep pockets of the University of Michigan.’ “
Former Michigan Head Coach Sherrone Moore’s Felony Stalking Case Reaches Shocking Conclusion