Sherrone Moore didn’t waste any time. Speaking to the media Tuesday for the first time since ESPN obtained a draft memo of the NCAA’s notice of allegations for the Michigan football team, the Wolverines coach got out ahead of the questions.
“I know there’s some questions regarding the whole NCAA investigation and things, and really the statement is, we’re cooperating with the NCAA fully,” Moore said in his opening statement. “(We) have in the past, will in the future and we’ll continue to do that. Right now, it’s an ongoing case, and we need to preserve the confidentiality of the proceedings.”
The “investigation and things” pertains to the NCAA’s accusation that seven Michigan coaches committed Level I or Level II Violations, headlined by Moore himself. Those infractions range from recruiting violations to involvement with former recruitment analyst Conor Stalions and his sign-stealing scandal.
For the most part, when asked later about the investigation, Moore left it at what he said in his opening statement, declining to comment further. When it came to the allegations levied against him personally, though, Moore had one more thing to add.
“I’ll just say this, that I look forward to (the text messages) being released, and that’s it,” Moore said.
Moore was referring to a deleted thread of 52 text messages between him and Stalions, later obtained by the NCAA via device imaging. Moore purportedly deleted the thread on the same day that reports of Stalions’ scheme went public in October 2023.
Beyond addressing the text messages, though, Moore didn’t add much else. He declined to comment when asked if he had any regret about the way he handled the text message situation. Despite the cloud of doubt cast by the list of allegations coming out about the program, he showed confidence in Michigan’s culture.
“When you’re at the bottom, they don’t respect you,” Moore said when asked if there’s anything about the culture he feels like he needs to change. “When you’re in the middle, they ignore you, and when you’re at the top, they hate you. So for us, we’re just going to keep rolling.”
Coming off a national championship increases the level of focus surrounding the Wolverines’ scandals, as does having multiple investigations swirling around the program at the same time. For the second season in a row, Michigan will have to contend with added NCAA focus because of those investigations. This year, it’s up to Moore to make sure that it doesn’t hamper the Wolverines on the field.
“(We) feel great,” Moore responded when asked how he feels about how the program is received nationally. “We’re excited about game one. We’re excited about the next day, and yeah, can’t really control what people say about us, so we’re just gonna keep rolling.”
As more comes out in reference to the investigations, Michigan will try to stay the course, preventing its alleged violations off the field from turning into worse play on it. Moore might look forward to his texts with Stalions being released, but at least until then, he’s trying to let the allegations remain as outside noise.
The post Sherrone Moore “looking forward” to text messages being released amid NCAA investigation appeared first on The Michigan Daily.
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