Everything About Sherrone Moore's 'Deleted Texts' Scandal And Why It Resurfaced Amid His Firing

Michigan head football coach Sherrone Moore’s coaching journey has come to an abrupt, not to mention dramatic, end. On Wednesday, December 10, 2025 (ET), the university fired Moore after internal investigations linked him with an “inappropriate relationship with a staff member”. The school says such a violation leaves no room for interpretation or tolerance, thus costing the coach one of the most coveted roles in college football.

With Moore’s recent firing taking the internet by storm, another controversy from his past has inevitably resurfaced: the ‘deleted texts’ scandal. The scandal first drew attention during the Connor Stalions' investigation into sign stealing. Here’s a closer look at what happened then, and why it’s back in the limelight now.

Inside Sherrone Moore’s firing from Michigan: Will he get his full contract money?

Sherrone Moore had a five-year contract with the university, which paid him USD 5.5 million annually. Despite his prior suspensions and controversies, the allegation of an inappropriate relationship has proven to be the last straw, as the school cited firing ‘for cause’. While the school didn’t reveal the staffer’s name, Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel announced Moore’s termination with a statement:

“U-M head football coach Sherrone Moore has been terminated, with cause, effective immediately. Following a University investigation, credible evidence was found that Coach Moore engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. This conduct constitutes a clear violation of University policy, and U-M maintains zero tolerance for such behaviour.”

Given the ‘for cause’ classification of the case, Sherron Moore will not be receiving the reminder of his five-year deal with the school. Meanwhile, Biff Poggi, who had previously stepped in during Moore’s suspension, has been named interim head coach for the rest of the season.

The deleted texts scandal that caused Moore’s suspension earlier this year

Sherrone Moore’s permanent termination from the head football coach position comes months after he was suspended for two games in the 2025 season for deleted text messages sent to ex-staffer Connor Stalions throughout the sign-stealing row. Here’s what was found in the texts.

During the NCAA’s investigation, officials discovered that Moore had deleted a text chain containing 52 messages that he had exchanged with Stalions. Moreover, these texts were from the same day on which Stalions was exposed for having coordinated an illicit scouting network. Investigating officials ultimately recovered the deleted texts through device imaging and turned them over to the NCAA enforcement staff. 

The recovered texts revealed that Moore was the mastermind of the scheme. His deletion of messages also resulted in allegations of a Level II violation. Michigan self-imposed two-game suspensions for Moore during the 2025 season, starting early September, in addition to the NCAA’s additional one-game suspension for the start of the 2026 season. During his suspension, assistant coach Biff Poggi had stepped in as the team’s interim head coach.

Moore’s tumultuous journey with Michigan Football

Sherrone Moore’s termination as Michigan head coach marks the program’s third head coach change in four years, a staggering turnover for a program that only recently celebrated a national championship. The 39-year-old football coach joined Michigan in 2018 and became an offensive coordinator in 2021. 

In 2023, during Jim Harbaugh’s suspension for a similar scouting scandal, Moore stepped in as interim coach, and in 2024, he became a full-time head coach after Harbaugh left for the NFL. Despite an impressive 9-3 season and a Citrus Bowl berth, his on-field progress was largely overshadowed by his off-field controversies. He finished his tenure 18-8.

With Moore now out, Michigan will move ahead with Poggi as interim coach while the search for a permanent replacement begins.

Read Next: Meet Sherrone Moore's Wife, Kelli As Ex-Michigan Football Coach Gets Fired Over Cheating Allegations

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