Ex-Michigan coach Sherrone Moore sentenced to 18 months probation after December arrest
Former University of Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore was placed on 18 months' probation Tuesday in 14-A District Court in Ann Arbor on two charges as part of a plea agreement that drops the original stalking charges.
Judge Cedric Simpson explained that, upon his review of the case, the plea agreement to the two charges with dismissal of the others was the correct resolution.
Moore received 18 months probation on each of the two charges, will pay $1,000 in fines and has been ordered to have no contact with his former employee, who was the victim of the initial charges. The jail time ordered will be credited for time served, with the balance suspended should the terms of probation be followed. He is scheduled for a review hearing in October 2027.
"We've addressed this case in court with dignity and respect for all involved," said Ellen Michaels, Moore's attorney. "The resolution reflects the evidence and the law. This outcome is not the result of favoritism or public profile; it is the result of a careful legal process, a thorough investigation and advocacy grounded in the facts. Sherrone is grateful for this matter to be resolved, and he and his wife, Kelli, are ready to move forward with their family and focus on the next chapter."
What Judge Cedric Simpson said
"The morality of what transpired - that's not something for the court to decide," Simpson said. "It will ultimately be left to this defendant and his God."
But the judge also took note of the reactions of Moore's wife when the circumstances broke, and in her letter to the court as part of the pre-sentence investigation process. The judge said he didn't know where Moore's wife found the strength to hold up during the ordeal. "What she had to deal with was an incredible burden," he added.
That letter from Moore's wife, the judge said, had a significant impact on his decision to invoke the probation and deferral of further time served.
Paige Shiver speaks out
Paige Shiver, the staff member who was at the center of the relationship and later Moore's arrest, released a statement on Tuesday. Before Moore's termination, Shiver worked as an executive assistant for U of M's athletic department.
University officials confirmed last month that Shiver's contract had expired and was not renewed.
"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."
Shiver's attorneys, Andrew M. Stroth and Steven A. Hart, released a joint statement, saying, "Today's sentence does not reflect the seriousness of Moore's unlawful entry and aggressive attack on Ms. Shiver on December 10th."
"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," the attorneys said.
Background on the case
Moore was initially charged in December with third-degree felony home invasion, as well as misdemeanor counts of stalking and of breaking and entering. He pleaded no contest on March 6 to the two misdemeanor charges of malicious use of a telecommunications device involving a domestic relationship, along with trespassing.
The maximum penalty was up to six months in jail on the telecom charge, and up to 30 days in jail on the trespassing charges.
As Simpson gave an outline of the case during the sentencing hearing, he said, "when the charges were filed, they were appropriate." But he explained that it became clear at one point that the stalking charge would not hold up.
Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel fired Moore on Dec. 10, 2025, saying he had been "terminated with cause, effective immediately," adding "this conduct constitutes a clear violation of University policy, and U-M maintains zero tolerance for such behavior."
Hours after his firing, Moore was booked in the Washtenaw County Jail after Pittsfield Township police responded to the 3000 block of Ann Arbor Saline Road for an alleged assault.
Washtenaw County prosecutors say Moore had an "intimate relationship" with the victim for a "number of years," and that the victim ended the relationship.
The woman involved in that relationship did not speak at the hearing.
Moore was named Michigan's coach in January 2024 after Jim Harbaugh stepped down to take on the head coaching job for the Los Angeles Chargers. He led the Wolverines to a 16-8 record over two seasons.