Warde Manuel Insists His Job Is Safe Ahead of Michigan's Board Meeting

A costly investigation into the athletic department is set to surface this week, and conflicting reports have already muddied his job security.

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Just as it was looking like Warde Manuel's future was in doubt as the athletic director at the University of Michigan, he doesn't believe he is going anywhere.

One day after a report indicated Michigan's board of regents were scheduled to hold a meeting on Thursday of this week to further discuss the Jenner & Block report, along with Manuel's position at Michigan, Manuel dismissed any notion he would be leaving.

"The president and I have had several great conversations over the past couple of days. There are no plans for me not to continue to be the athletic director for the near future," Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger reported on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday.

Manuel's job will be discussed

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Michigan State journalist Justin Spiro, someone who has been digging into Michigan's athletic scandals over the years, reported on Sunday that Manuel's time at Michigan was over, and that the Wolverines were planning on making an announcement this week. However, no other reporting of Manuel and Michigan parting ways has been provided elsewhere.

A meeting between Michigan's Board of Regents will take place Thursday, as has been reported by the likes of Dellenger, Pete Thamel, and Dan Wetzel of ESPN.

The expectation is that the report from Jenner & Block will come to light by Thursday, or at least some of the law firm's findings.

Jenner & Block was hired to look into the athletic department

The University of Michigan hired Jenner & Block back on November 13 of 2025. Nearly a month before ex-Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore was fired for having an inappropriate relationship with staffer, Paige Shiver.

That was just one scandal that has happened under Manuel's watch as the athletic director. The Jenner & Block report, which the Wolverines paid $12 million for, per the Detroit Press, is expected to show how long Manuel knew about Moore's relationship with Shiver, and when the relationship came to light.

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And as President Domenico Grasso said following the firing of Moore, the University will act swiftly if other egregious evidence shows from the report.

"We will take whatever steps are necessary to ensure that conduct like this does not happen again," interim university president Domenico Grasso said at the time. "Make no mistake. We will leave no stone unturned, and any further action we take will be based on credible evidence and findings, developed through a rigorous investigation.

"If the university learns of information through this investigation or otherwise that warrants a termination of any employee, we will act swiftly, just as we did in the case of Coach Moore."

As these reports continue to unfold, we will continue to update this story as more information is reported.