Warde Manuel reiterated Tuesday that he’s still Michigan’s athletic director, despite reports that he’s been discussing his exit.
“I think I’ve been fired by social media three times in my 10 years,” Manuel said on WTKA-AM, a local radio station. “I just move through it because, to me, it’s nonsense.”
Reports surfaced over the weekend that Manuel’s future at the school was in doubt ahead of a meeting of Michigan’s board of regents scheduled for Thursday. Manuel, 58, acknowledged in his radio interview that he’s had discussions about his future, but he said no decisions have been made about when he might depart.
“Those conversations happen,” Manuel said. “Things are discussed. It’s not taken away from me doing my job.”
Manuel, who Michigan hired in 2016, is under contract through 2030. Speculation about his future is tied to the findings of an external investigation by the law firm Jenner & Block into Michigan’s handling of allegations involving former football coach Sherrone Moore and the broader culture of the athletic department.
President Domenico Grasso and Michigan’s regents are expected to address the investigation during Thursday’s meeting, though it’s unclear how much will be revealed about the findings. A university spokesperson said that as of Sunday, the school was not planning to release anything from the investigation this week.
Manuel said he’s had “great conversations” with Grasso, who called him the “best athletic director in the United States of America” at a celebration for Michigan’s men’s basketball national championship in April. Manuel also lamented “internal politics” and “sources outside of athletics” that have fueled speculation about his future.
“It’s challenging and at times very frustrating to deal with,” Manuel said.
Manuel has come under fire for Michigan’s handling of allegations involving Moore, who was fired in December after his former executive assistant disclosed that she and Moore were engaged in a lengthy romantic relationship. Michigan hired Jenner & Block to investigate those allegations after an internal investigation did not produce conclusive evidence. Moore was fired for cause after his assistant, Paige Shiver, disclosed the relationship in December.
“If there’s no evidence, there’s no evidence,” Manuel said. “All we can do is look for the evidence that exists.”
Manuel also pushed back on the notion that Michigan failed to adequately vet people it hired, including former offensive coordinator Matt Weiss, who was indicted on federal charges for allegedly hacking online accounts and accessing personal photos belonging to thousands of female athletes. Manuel said Weiss had a “clean background check” and said neither he nor former coach Jim Harbaugh had any knowledge of Weiss’ alleged computer crimes until Michigan’s IT department uncovered them.
“They expect me to be a mind reader of what people are doing,” Manuel said of his critics. “I don’t know anyone who possesses that superpower.”
