ANN ARBOR, Mich — The University of Michigan will pay outgoing athletic director Warde Manuel more than $7 million as part of a separation agreement between the two parties.
According to the agreement — which was obtained via Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request by 7 News Detroit — the University will pay Manuel a lump sum of $7,143,346 within 21 days of his resignation on Dec. 31.
Michigan will also contribute $108,000 towards Manuel's retirement account, waiving the policy requirement of 20 years of service towards the university. Per the deal, Manuel also gets the same access to sports tickets and golf course access as other former athletic directors.
A few other notes from the separation agreement:
- Manuel agreed to a non-compete as part of the deal, which means he can't work in the athletic department of any Big Ten schools in 2027 or 2028
- Manuel's representation will get $82,000 in legal fees from the university
- The agreement is not an admission of liability on the university's part.
Last week, the university announced that Warde would step down at the end of 2026. The Chicago law firm Jenner & Block has been investigating Michigan athletics since December, when head football coach Sherrone Moore was fired for having a romantic relationship with his assistant. The results of the investigation have not been made available to the public, but Michigan released it's own findings along with this statement.
"Maintaining the confidentiality of the investigation protects the privacy of the members of our community who participated, promotes the willingness of witnesses to participate in any future investigations by allaying concerns relating to privacy or risk of retaliation, preserves investigative integrity, and protects the attorney-client privilege that covers the investigation," Michigan said in the FAQs section of the findings, as to why a report has not been made available.
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. Moore pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges back in April, following a deal that dismissed more serious charges.
Watch our previous coverage
You can view the separation agreement in full below
Warde Manuel Settlement and Release of Claims signed 7/17 by kellen.thompson-voss
