ANN ARBOR, Mich. (WXYZ) — The University of Michigan is reeling from a major scandal that has sent shockwaves through the campus and made international headlines following the arrest of former head football coach Sherrone Moore.
Moore was taken into police custody shortly after the university announced his termination on Wednesday. The firing came after an internal investigation revealed what officials called "credible evidence" that Moore engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.
Watch Peter Maxwell's video report below:
The dramatic turn of events has left students stunned, particularly as the scandal unfolds during final exams week.
"You look up to these people a lot, especially as a big football fan, so it hurt," said Justin Sherman, a University of Michigan student.
The news dominated campus conversations, disrupting students' focus on their studies.
"There was very little studying being done. It was a big talk. Yeah, everybody knows about it. It's getting spread around," said Pearse McCallion, another student.
Related video: Arraignment expected for former Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore
Students expressed concern about the scandal's impact on the university's reputation and the football program's future.
"We need to fix our image really quick because I don't want to lose all of our people to the transfer portal like I've already heard rumors," said Owen Blush, a student.
The timing of the revelations caught many off guard.
"I mean, I can't believe all of this just happened yesterday afternoon. It's just crazy," said Lindsey Michell, a student.
Morgan Zeni was studying for finals when she received the news notification.
"Yesterday, I was just studying for finals and I get the notification and I'm like oh, my gosh because it was just so unexpected," Zeni said.
Related video: What we know about the hours leading up to Sherrone Moore's arrest
Despite the shocking nature of the allegations, some students expressed sympathy for Moore while acknowledging his actions were inappropriate.
"I'd like to think that I am a compassionate person, so I do feel bad for him, I just don't think that was the route to go with everything," McCallion said.
Students are now demanding transparency from university officials, seeking answers about how long administrators knew about potential issues with the head coach.
"It really hit me because I was like damn, that's our coach and he's doing all of this stuff. Sometimes, you just wonder what's going on," Blush said.
Related video: What's next for Michigan football after former coach Sherrone Moore's firing, arrest
The scandal has raised questions about the university's handling of the situation and whether officials should have acted sooner.
"A huge draw to Michigan is the football and athletics, so it would be nice to get a little bit more info than what we hear in the media," Sherman said.
Freshman Ethan Perkins believes the university owes students an explanation if officials were aware of problems before the public announcement.
"If they did know, they definitely got to tell everyone like hey man, we knew, we did something wrong and kind of just ask for our forgiveness," Perkins said.
—————
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
