Former Michigan assistant football coach Chris Partridge, fired during the Wolverines’ 2023 sign-stealing scandal only to be later cleared of wrongdoing by the NCAA, sued the university, its board of trustees and athletic director Warde Manuel in federal court Wednesday.
Partridge, now the Seattle Seahawks’ linebackers coach, was fired Nov. 17, 2023, amid the investigation into an advanced scouting operation run by then-staffer Connor Stalions. Partridge was never alleged to have known about the sign-stealing scheme, let alone participate in it.
But in a 46-page complaint filed in the Eastern District of Michigan, Partridge alleges he was made a “scapegoat.”
The lawsuit alleges Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti “presented [Michigan athletic director Warde] Manuel with uncorroborated, second-hand, inflammatory information” that Partridge had told an unnamed student-athlete to “not be forthright with information” when speaking with NCAA investigators.
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The complaint alleges that Petitti “threatened to embarrass Michigan by presenting” the information during a pending injunction hearing concerning a suspension of then-coach Jim Harbaugh.
Both Michigan and the Big Ten declined to comment.
Citing unnamed sources, local and national news organizations reported at the time that Partridge had “destroyed evidence.”
Partridge denied all claims, stating he never destroyed any evidence, never had any evidence to destroy in the first place and had only told the player who sought his guidance to “get a lawyer.”
“A Michigan football player approached Partridge, told him he was nervous about his upcoming interview with the NCAA, and asked for advice,” the lawsuit says. “Partridge … advised him to speak with his parents about getting a lawyer and to just be honest with the NCAA.”
In 2025, the NCAA Committee on Infractions sided with Partridge on three separate alleged violations, including the “failure to cooperate” charge reference in his lawsuit, offering a near total exoneration.
“The panel concludes that the case record does not demonstrate that these violations occurred,” the committee wrote.
By then, the complaint contends, the damage was done. Partridge, despite his job with the reigning Super Bowl champions, told ESPN he still aspires to work in college football but the scandal in which he was cleared of any wrongdoing hangs over him.
Partridge, 45, is the former head coach of New Jersey high school powerhouse Paramus Catholic and became a college assistant at Michigan (twice) and Ole Miss.
Partridge told ESPN that the lawsuit is designed to continue clearing his name in the hopes he can return to the college level as a head coach. He is seeking the recovery of lost wages as well as for damages due to the impact the firing had on his professional reputation, career prospects and personal health.
“I always believe that the truth will eventually come out,” Partridge said. “I went all the way through the process with the NCAA and the truth prevailed. And I feel I have to go all the way through the process with Michigan for the truth with Michigan to prevail.”
The lawsuit offers a window into the intense and contentious back-and-forth between the Big Ten and Michigan during the 2023 season.
The sign-stealing scandal broke Oct. 18, when the NCAA was presented with evidence by a still-unidentified third party that Stalions was sending individuals to opponents’ stadiums to film sideline signals. Over the ensuing weeks, additional information came out almost daily, dominating the headlines as the Wolverines steamrolled to a 15-0, national championship season.
Things came to a head when the Big Ten levied a three-game suspension on Harbaugh, citing its “sportsmanship” clause. Outraged by the suspension, Harbaugh and the university sought an injunction.
Partridge’s complaint says that Petitti told Michigan that revealing the new “information was likely to result in the Washtenaw County Circuit Court denying Michigan and Harbaugh’s request for an injunction.”
The lawsuit contends that information, however, was merely “uncorroborated, second-hand, false information about Partridge.”
Regardless, according to the complaint, “Manuel offered to fire Partridge and to dismiss Michigan and Harbaugh’s legal claims against the Big Ten and Petitti.”
Meanwhile, per the complaint, “in exchange, Petitti agreed not to publicly disclose the sensationalized information he had shared with Manuel, to issue a positive public statement about the parties resolving their dispute, and to do nothing further regarding the NCAA’s ‘sign-stealing’ investigation.”
Partridge was fired but always maintained his innocence and mounted a significant defense when the NCAA’s official allegations were levied.
Not only did the NCAA Committee on Infractions side with Partridge, but the lawsuit alleges that during the hearing, Manuel told the committee “he was under immense pressure at the time he fired Partridge” and “because of this pressure, he made hasty decisions.”
Manuel, per the lawsuit, approached Partridge at the end of the hearing, “shook his hand and told him he was sorry Partridge had to go through this.”
“My passion is to be a head college coach,” Partridge told ESPN. “That has always been a dream of mine. I’m not going to give up on that just because other people made bad decisions.”
The lawsuit also notes that had Manuel provided proper oversight of Harbaugh and Stalions, none of this scandal would have occurred in the first place, since Partridge had nothing to do with the advanced scouting operation.
It also cites how Manuel’s immediate firing of Partridge is inconsistent with how Manuel dealt with allegations against other athletic department staff members, including former head coach Sherrone Moore, dismissed in December for having an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.
Soon after Moore’s firing, the university hired Jenner & Block, a Chicago-based law firm, to conduct a full-scale review into the culture, conduct and procedures of the entire athletic department after a series of scandals. It is expected to share its findings this spring.
