Fired Michigan coach Sharon Moore was ‘suicidal’ when police were called to her executive assistant’s apartment

Ann Arbor, Mich. – Sharon Moore, the acclaimed head coach of the University of Michigan’s storied football program, threw away her $30 million career after an affair with an assistant came to light – and resulted in her surprise arrest for alleged assault.

The 39-year-old married father of three’s promising career came to an abrupt end on Wednesday. He was booted as Michigan’s head coach that afternoon and, within the same hour, he was arraigned on criminal charges for allegedly breaking into the home of his executive assistant, Paige Shiver, armed with a knife.

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Moore — the first black head coach in Michigan history — is now cooling his feet in the Washtenaw County Jail on assault charges.

The shocking news came just days after Moore spoke to reporters as the No. 18-ranked Wolverines began preparing for the Citrus Bowl later this month, and it shocked the college football world.

Thursday’s surprising developments include:

• Moore was reported to be “suicidal” and had a knife when he went to Seaver’s apartment after the shooting.

• He remained in jail Thursday, with a first court appearance scheduled for Friday

• Seaver, 32, was given a 55% raise last year to $90,000

• The university previously investigated her claims of an “inappropriate relationship” with an employee, but she denied it, according to reports.

• She was fired after the employee came forward with evidence of the affair, according to the claim

• Michigan Football Insiders reported that Moore was “behaving strangely, hitting on an assistant coach,” according to ESPN.

A female caller reported to a 911 dispatcher that Moore was armed with a knife and had been stalking her “for months,” according to police audio obtained by The Post.

“The male at the location is attacking her … he says he’s been stalking her for months,” a male voice can be heard saying in the audio.

The audio also indicated that Moore threatened to harm himself during the alleged exchange, after which he fled on foot and was arrested at a nearby church.

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The dispatcher said the caller reported Moore brandishing a knife before dropping the weapon and running away.

“It’s going to be at Vail Church, 211 Willis Road … suicidal … blacked out driving a black Chevy Tahoe,” a Washtenaw County police dispatcher can be heard saying moments later.

Here’s the latest on former Michigan coach Sharon Moore

The call came from Shiver’s Ann Arbor address, according to public records, though it was not immediately clear if she was the victim.

Pittsfield Township police confirmed Wednesday that they were investigating the alleged assault, but did not say whether Moore was apparently involved.

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“The incident does not appear to be random in nature, and there appears to be no ongoing threat to the community,” a statement from the Pittsfield Police Department read.

No formal charges had been filed as of Thursday night.

“The matter involving Mr. Moore remains under active investigation by law enforcement, and as a result, we do not anticipate a charging decision or indictment today,” Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savitt said in a statement, confirming he remains in custody.

Moore — who married his wife, Kelly, in 2015 and has three daughters — was fired “with cause” by the university on Wednesday after it said he had an “inappropriate” relationship with a staff member who has not been publicly identified.

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Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel announced Moore’s firing Wednesday hours before his arrest.

“UM head football coach Sharon Moore has been terminated, effective immediately, with cause,” Michigan announced in a statement. “After a university investigation, credible evidence was found that Coach Moore engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. This conduct is a clear violation of university policy, and UM maintains zero tolerance for such behavior.”

A dismissal with cause could mean Michigan has no obligation to pay the estimated $14.5 million to $16 million remaining on Moore’s contract.

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It’s unclear how long the university had been looking into the relationship between the football coach and the staff member, but Moore had been doing media interviews as recently as Tuesday, when he held a news conference and did a one-on-one interview with WXYZ Detroit.

During Moore’s tenure, his assistant, Shiver, saw her salary jump from $58,025 to $90,000 in 2024, without any apparent change in job title, according to publicly available data on college employee salaries.

The scene played on dispatcher audio closely mirrored a local TV interview with John Bacon, a University of Michigan coach and author with deep ties to the school’s famed football program.

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Bacon claimed that Moore “entered the home of an employee in Pittsfield Township … grabbed a knife, and threatened to harm him and harm himself.”

According to Bacon, Moore is in protective custody “surrounded by mental health professionals.”

Even before his shocking firing, the state of Moore’s mental health had been viewed with growing concern within the university.

ESPN – According to college football reporter Pete Thamel, Moore had been acting “weird” recently, with the situation “percolating” over the past few weeks.

“There was a lot of discomfort on the Michigan staff, sources told me that Sharon Moore was behaving strangely, hitting on an assistant coach, not acting in a normal way,” Thamel said on “SportsCenter” Wednesday after Michigan was axed.

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Despite the suddenness of Michigan’s announcement, ESPN college football analyst Josh Pate claimed that speculation about Moore’s future had been swirling for “weeks and weeks.”