ANN ARBOR, Mich. (WXYZ) — Former Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore was sentenced Tuesday to 18 months of probation after pleading no contest to misdemeanor charges, following a deal that dismissed more serious charges.
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He pleaded no contest to malicious use of a telecommunications device and one count of trespass.
During the hearing, the prosecutor said they trusted the judge to make the right sentencing decision. Moore's defense attorney, before the sentencing, said that he has "centered himself around his family," and expressed genuine remorse for what happened.
RAW VIDEO: Sherrone Moore sentencing hearing
"This is a man not defined by this moment, but how he has responded to it," the defense attorney said, asking for a deferral and probation sentencing.
Moore also spoke briefly to the court, thanking his wife for her support, and said he is taking this very seriously.
Judge Cedric Simpson spoke before the sentencing, detailing the case and charging decisions, as well as some of the evidence.
"The right thing happened. The charges, the criminal charges that this defendant, Mr. Moore, would’ve been guilty of, he pled to. No more, no less," Simpson said.
"The person, quite frankly, who is saving you from the full wrath of this court is the one you betrayed. I don’t know where your wife, Kelli, finds her strength. When all of the circumstances are happening and are happening to her, and she’s absorbing them in real time, she not once loses her focus," he added.
On December 10 last year, Moore was fired "for cause" from the Head Football Coach position at the University of Michigan, following allegations of an inappropriate relationship with his former staffer Paige Shiver. Prosecutors say just hours after losing his job, Moore broke into her home and threatened to harm himself.
The following statements have been released by Paige Shiver and her attorneys:
The University of Michigan gave this man limitless power and emboldened him to do whatever he wanted for years with no accountability. December 10th was the most terrifying day of my life. The criminal acts he committed were extremely frightening and violent. He broke into my apartment, crying, yelling, enraged, and came at me with knives. I was threatened, and I feared for my life. Today’s sentence does not reflect the harm done to me or the objective evidence in this case.
Today’s sentence does not reflect the seriousness of Moore’s unlawful entry and aggressive attack on Ms. Shiver on December 10th. Following his termination from the University, this deranged 6 foot 4, 285-pound man broke into her apartment and physically threated her with knives. For several years, the University of Michigan’s leadership looked the other way and allowed Ms. Shiver to be exploited and abused by Moore. The University enabled Moore and others in positions of authority within the Athletic Department, fostered the ongoing and escalating abuse, and advanced a culture that cared not about the hostile environment but instead was focused only on winning football games.
It is our expectation that Interim University President Domenico Grasso, President-Elect Kent Syverud, General Counsel Tim Lynch, new Football Coach Kyle Whittingham, the Board of Regents and major donors will take responsibility for the harm done to Ms. Shiver and others and commit to building a NCAA and Title IX compliant Athletic Department.
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Moore was originally charged last December with third-degree felony home invasion, misdemeanor stalking, and misdemeanor breaking and entering, but those charges were dismissed in the plea deal.
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