Former University of Michigan head football coach Sherrone Moore appears before Judge J. Cedric Simpson during a probable cause hearing Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, in Ann Arbor’s 14A-1 District Court. Former Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore agreed to a plea deal Friday, avoiding trial in a criminal case after he was fired last December for an inappropriate relationship with an employee.
Moore agreed to plead no contest to new misdemeanor charges of malicious use of a communication device and trespassing, Washtenaw County (Mich.) prosecutors said. In return, previous charges, including a third-degree felony count of home invasion, were dismissed.
Moore, 40, is scheduled to return to Judge J. Cedric Simpson’s courtroom April 14 for sentencing. Attorneys unaffiliated with the case told the Detroit Free Press that it is unlikely he will face jail time because he has no prior criminal record.
Moore arrived at the courthouse holding hands with his wife, Kelly, who sat in the front row during the trial.
Michigan State fired Moore on Dec. 10 because of his longtime relationship with his chief assistant. He said that on the day he was fired, he went to the apartment of the woman with whom he had a relationship. She told authorities he barged in and cornered her with two butter knives.
Moore was arrested and spent two nights in jail. The original charges of home invasion, stalking, breaking and entering carried penalties of up to five years in prison.
Moore compiled a 16-8 record at Michigan after serving as offensive coordinator in place of Jim Harbaugh. He and Harbaugh were embroiled in a sign-stealing controversy during the school’s 2023 national championship season, and Moore ended up being suspended for two games.
–Field level media
