The head coach of one of the most significant sports programs holds more power on a major campus than many people care to admit. Players and staff trust him; parents send their children into his care because they believe he stands for something larger than wins and money, a trust that broke the moment Michigan fired Sherrone Moore for an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. The scandal only grew when police detained him soon after.
Yet Moore’s fall had nothing to do with a bad season or poor coaching choices; he fell because he used his authority in a way that damaged people under him. A leader with that much influence needs to understand the weight of every decision he makes, but Moore didn’t. He acted like a man protected by fame and success, rather than a servant leader charged with protecting others.
Fortunately, the school didn’t act on rumors, with reports saying they fired him with cause after credible evidence surfaced that he crossed a line with a staff member. That alone reveals a major character failure: A person in his position can’t play games with boundaries.
Moore shouldn’t have confused star power with permission. He decided that his desires mattered more than the people who trusted him. Strong leaders don’t make choices like that; weak men do.
After investigators sorted through the allegation, police took Moore into custody. Watching them escort him into a cruiser looked like the final image of a man who used influence for selfish ends and never thought he’d face consequences for his abhorrent behavior.
The reason major programs rise is that their success is based on trust, yet they collapse when a leader believes his own press and forgets where the fence line sits.
Moore coached young men on one of the most-watched programs in the country, where fans thought he carried himself with integrity. Staff thought he respected them, and players believed his guidance mattered.
He thoroughly wrecked that foundation in private moments that showed zero honor.
The reaction across campus reflected deep hurt. Local coverage captured stunned student voices who never thought their coach held such low regard for those beneath him. Those people expected flaws — after all, we’re all human. But what they didn’t expect was betrayal.
This scandal directly ties into the point I raised in an earlier piece about how predators hide in respected spaces, use titles to shield their behavior, count on silence, and gamble that nobody will believe a subordinate over an influential public figure.
I hate writing this, but the lesson never changes: The public focuses on certain institutions while others drift under the radar. Moore’s disgrace shows how abuse grows wherever accountability weakens.
Related: A Rising Stand for Integrity in Women’s Sports
Moore’s fall serves as a warning to every leader who believes power creates a private lane without rules. Fact: It does not!
True leadership demands restraint and respect for those who depend on you. A man who can’t control himself has no business controlling a program built on discipline.
Like most programs, Michigan will recover. However, Moore needs to face consequences that match the harm he caused. Any leader who loses his duty loses far more than a job; he loses the right to call himself a leader.
At all.
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