University of Michigan student Aiden Wolfson said he was taking a break from finals when he saw the breaking news on Instagram.
ESPN’s notice involves former Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore, who was fired Wednesday, Dec. 10, for having an “inappropriate relationship” with a staff member. He was arrested that day and is being held in the Washtenaw County Jail awaiting arraignment.
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Wolfson, 19, said he initially thought Moore was fired because of his performance, but pieced those thoughts together after reading further reports.
What we know: Sherron Moore fired by Michigan, jailed: No charges expected today
“Initially I thought, wow, we’re too late to fire our coach. If we were going to fire him because of his performance, we should have done it weeks ago,” he said Thursday. “Then I read about what he actually did and it all made sense.”
Anthony, another Michigan student, was initially surprised by the news because he didn’t think Moore’s 9-3 season warranted his firing, but changed his mind when he read another report.
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“I thought, no way, another scandal,” he said. “You would wish [Moore] A good guy, or at least that’s what we thought.
“When I see what happened with the police officer, it makes me a little sad… He’s probably in a crazy place right now.”
A University of Michigan business student said he heard rumors about a possible scandal in the football program after Michigan’s 13-13 loss to USC on Oct. 11, but he initially dismissed them as untrustworthy.
“[The rumors] “We’re all coming off losses, so you feel like this might be some people just letting off some anger,” he said. “So I didn’t really think about it too much and I saw [the reports] occur. “
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Some students said they were shocked not by Moore’s alleged behavior but by the school’s investigation and decision to fire Moore because of a perceived culture of flouting rules and hiding inappropriate behavior at UM athletics.
Mitch Albon: Sherron Moore firing surprising, but not shocking
“I’m surprised the university didn’t cover this up,” Wolfson said. “My feeling mostly about these things is that the administration tends to sweep it under the rug or maybe bribe someone. But the fact that the university conducted an investigation is actually a good thing.”
Darryl Mobley, 33, a former University of Michigan-Dearborn athlete, said the controversy surrounding Moore is “history repeating itself,” but he hopes the school can use the opportunity to heal and improve the football program.
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“As of right now, we absolutely have to stay together to continue to be a community and a family,” he said. “We’re not here to cover up what’s going on, we’re here to eliminate it.”
But even if the decision to fire Moore represents progress to some, others have pointed to the negative impact it will have on the football program.
“It definitely affected us because we just had our quarterback and our coach,” said Jace Withun, 19, a carpenter from Ann Arbor and a University of Michigan football fan. “I just feel like we’re getting our team together…and now we’re kind of back to square one, honestly.”
The on-field impact could be far-reaching, with the program conducting a coaching search after many potential candidates have already been hired, and a recruiting class that will be free to pursue opportunities at other schools following Moore’s firing.
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For Withun, this has not affected his overall fan base.
“I’m a Michigan fan at heart, forever. Not green,” he said with a laugh.
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You can contact Christian at cromo@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared in the Detroit Free Press: Michigan students heard rumors about Sherrone Moore long before he was fired
