Michigan issues statement on AD Warde Manuel's status with school

The University of Michigan has issued a statement regarding athletic director Warde Manuel‘s status with the school. Per Amanda Christovich of Front Office Sports, the statement said, “U-M does not plan to release anything this week related to the athletics investigation and Warde Manuel remains our athletic director — we have no comment on any rumors about his future.”

It was reported on Sunday that the Michigan Board of Trustees would be meeting on Thursday to discuss Manuel’s status. This is after an internal investigation of the athletic department, stemming from the incident involving former football coach Sherrone Moore.

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On Monday, Warde Manuel issued a statement that said he has “no plans” to leave his role as Michigan’s AD. “The president and I have had several great conversations over the past couple of days,” Manuel said via Ross Dellenger of Yahoo. “There are no plans for me not to continue to be the athletic director for the near future.”

Manuel has been the athletic director at Michigan since January 2016. Before joining the Wolverines, Manuel was the AD at Connecticut (2012-2016) and Buffalo (2005-2012).

Warde Manuel shares update on contract with Michigan

During his time as Michigan’s AD, Manuel has seen his teams have plenty of success. The football team won the national championship in 2023, and the men’s basketball team won the title earlier this year.

While there have been good moments for Manuel, the athletic department has had its share of challenges. Along with the Moore incident, the football team was involved in a sign-stealing scandal. After winning the national title, head coach Jim Harbaugh left the program for the NFL, and Connor Stallions resigned from his position on staff for his role in the scandal.

During a previously scheduled interview with The Big 1050 WTKA, Manuel discussed his current contract at Michigan. “I have four years left on my contract,” he said, via FOX Sports. “I don’t know what the future is going to be. I do feel confident in the things I have done here at Michigan. I’m very proud of what we’ve accomplished.”