Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel will receive a hefty lump-sum payment from the University of Michigan. Manuel has been the Wolverines’ AD since 2016. He previously worked with the UConn Huskies and the Buffalo Bulls.
Manuel will receive nearly $7.2 million as the school announced it’ll buy out the remaining three years on his contract. Manuel will continue to receive other benefits from the university.
The six-page settlement agreement was obtained by MLive/The Ann Arbor News after filing a public-records request with the school.
Michigan has agreed to contribute an additional $108k to Warde Manuel’s retirement account and pay $82k in attorney fees. In addition, Manuel will receive perks such as being eligible for tickets to Michigan games and golf privileges, like other former Michigan athletic directors.
Another interesting detail about Warde Manuel’s situation in Michigan is that he will remain employed by the university until December 31. After that, he will voluntarily resign, and his personnel record will reflect the same.
While Manuel will enjoy plenty of benefits from the buyout, there are some conditions that he will have to abide by as well. As part of the agreement, he will not be allowed to be an athletic director or senior athletic adviser for any Big Ten school for the next two years.
After two years from the date of his resignation, he will be able to join a Big Ten program in those roles. In the meantime, Manuel will be allowed to take up any role at a program outside of the Big Ten without any penalty.
Warde Manuel’s Departure is Tied to Sherrone Moore’s Firing
The University of Michigan has had a rough few years as it made headlines for all the wrong reasons. The domino effect started with former head coach Sherrone Moore being fired for cause after the university found credible evidence against him regarding an allegedly inappropriate relationship with a staff member.
Moore’s scandal wasn’t the only incident that happened at Michigan since Warde Manuel took over as the athletic director. The university hired Jenner & Block LLP to conduct an independent investigation, focusing on Moore’s alleged misconduct, and it resulted in athletic director Warde Manuel stepping down.
The law firm conducted over 350 interviews, involving nearly 300 witnesses, and reviewed over 20,000 pages of documents.
Even though the process will take more time, the University of Michigan is slowly heading toward attaining normalcy again so it can focus on its players and the upcoming season.
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