Ex-Michigan coach Sherrone Moore reaches plea deal to resolve criminal charges

Sherrone Moore, who was fired as Michigan’s head football coach in December, pleaded no contest to two misdemeanors in a deal to resolve a felony criminal case. 

Moore was facing charges of stalking, breaking and entering and home invasion of the home of his executive assistant, with whom he allegedly had an extramarital affair. 

Authorities said Moore had confronted the alleged mistress and blamed her for his dismissal, even threatening to kill himself with butter knives in her apartment. 

The case was resolved after Friday’s plea deal. 

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Kelli Moore, left, walks with her husband, former University of Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore, and his attorney Ellen Michaels at the 14A-1 District Court in Ann Arbor Friday, March 6, 2026. (Mandi Wright/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)

The deal was struck the same day a judge planned to hear a challenge to Moore’s arrest in December on three charges, including felony home invasion. Those previous charges were dropped in exchange for Moore pleading no contest to misdemeanor trespassing and misdemeanor malicious use of a telecommunications device.

His sentencing is scheduled for April 14 for charges that have a potential maximum of six months and 30 days in prison.

“All the charges against Mr. Moore were not supported by facts and law,” said attorney Ellen Michaels, standing alongside Moore and his wife outside the courtroom. “The dismissal of those charges validates the concerns we raised about the investigation from the very beginning. Mr. Moore is pleased to put this behind him and move forward.

“It’s not stalking if the communication has a legitimate purpose.”

Moore declined comment to reporters after the hearing. 

“No, I’m good,” he said. “Appreciate it.”

Sherrone Moore during warmups before a game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Michigan Stadium Nov. 29, 2025, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (Luke Hales/Getty Images)

Moore, 40, was fired Dec. 10 after two seasons as the successor to Jim Harbaugh, who won a national championship before leaving to lead the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers.

In dismissing Moore, the university cited his inappropriate relationship with a staff member. Assistant prosecutor Kati Rezmierski said the woman ended the affair a few days before Moore’s firing and cooperated with the school’s investigation.

Michaels declined to say if she was involved in potential litigation against the university on Moore’s behalf. He signed a five-year contract with a base annual salary of $5.5 million last year. According to the terms of his deal, the university did not have to buy out the remaining years of his contract because he was fired for cause.

Michigan also did not renew the contract of the female football staffer who was suspected to have been in a relationship with Moore.

A university spokesperson confirmed the departure to Fox News Digital.

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Former University of Michigan head football coach Sherrone Moore, left, is sworn in with his attorney Ellen Michaelsat before he accepts a plea deal before Judge J. Cedric Simpson at the 14A-1 District Court in Ann Arbor Friday, March 6, 2026. (Mandi Wright/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)

“Her contract expired and was not renewed,” the spokesperson said.

The staffer, whose LinkedIn profile listed her as an executive assistant to the head football coach at the University of Michigan, earned just over $58,000 in 2023 and 2024, according to public payroll information. In the 2025 fiscal year, though, her salary jumped to $99,000, according to a salary disclosure report from the University of Michigan.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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