Univ. of Michigan AD Warde Manuel is “stepping down” at the end of the year, according to Angelique Chengelis of the DETROIT NEWS. Manuel told Michigan President Domenico Grasso that he “wanted to step down at the end of the year,” which Grasso “allowed.” The school Monday announced Manuel’s departure and “outlined the findings of the independent athletics reviews” conducted by the law firm Jenner & Block that was initiated last December to investigate the circumstances regarding fired football coach Sherrone Moore. Michigan also outlined what actions the university will take in response. The Jenner & Block investigation “found ‘weaknesses’ in accountability, organizational structure, oversight, and reporting created conditions in which misconduct was not always addressed consistently, promptly, or in accordance with university expectations.” The investigation found that Manuel “demonstrated important leadership strengths, particularly his commitment to student-athletes.” However, the report identified “failures to quickly and effectively act on allegations of wrongdoing by Athletic Department employees.” The university hired Jenner & Block late last year and spent nearly $12M investigating the Moore situation and the athletic department (DETROIT NEWS, 7/20).
TIPPING POINT: In Detroit, Garcia & Boucher note Moore’s firing was “perhaps the tipping point after bad press and scandals riddled the athletic department in recent years” under Manuel’s leadership, which includes Moore’s exec assistant Paige Shiver suing the university and “claiming they hid public records,” as well as former linebackers coach Chris Partridge filing suit against the board of regents, Manuel, former president Santa Ono and Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti. The suit claims the school’s ex-president “actively worked to hide details of the football team’s sign stealing scandal” -- and that athletic department leaders “knew about Moore’s affair with a staff member years before it led to his ouster” (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 7/20).
CONTRACT NUMBER: The DETROIT FREE PRESS reported incoming Univ. of Michigan basketball coach Mike Boynton Jr.’s two-year deal includes a base salary of $3.6M in Year 1 and $4M in Year 2, but “the second season comes only if Boynton hits certain requirements in his first.” Boynton must hit two of the following four benchmarks on the court: “Win 24 regular-season games, finish among the top four teams (including ties) in the Big Ten regular-season race, win the Big Ten tournament or reach the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament.” In addition, hitting some of those benchmarks will give Boynton some “big bonus money, including potentially $200,000” for Big Ten regular-season and tournament titles and $1.5M for “winning the NCAA title.” Boynton will also get “$50,000 bonuses if he wins Big Ten Coach of the Year” and if he wins a national coach of the year award from the AP, Naismith Awards or USA Today. If Boynton is fired without cause during his first season, before he has met the performance criteria above, UM would “owe him only the remainder” of his $4M salary. If he is “fired before his second season, but after reaching the criteria” to earn another year, he would get $4M (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 7/17).
