The ex-head football coach at the University of Michigan remained in jail on Thursday, a day after the university fired him “with cause, effective immediately”.
The university said an investigation found “credible evidence” coach Sherrone Moore had “engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member”.
The same day he was fired, Mr Moore was detained by police in a nearby suburb for alleged assault, according to police.
The termination and detention represent the latest shakeup in the billion-dollar world of college sports, after Lane Kiffin announced last week that he was leaving the University of Mississippi to coach at Louisiana State University under a $91m contract.
Like coach Kiffin’s departure, Mr Moore’s exit from the team occurred on the eve of the College Football Playoff and a slate of championship games referred to as bowl games.
In his second year as head coach, Mr Moore was due to lead the Michigan Wolverines in a storied rivalry against the University of Texas on 31 December in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl.
The school’s athletic director, Warde Manuel, said in the statement provided to the BBC that Mr Moore’s alleged inappropriate relationship “constitutes a clear violation of university policy”, and the school “maintains zero tolerance for such behavior”.
Mr Moore, 39, will be replaced by Biff Poggi, the team’s associate head coach.
According to police in Pittsfield Township, about 15 minutes from the university in Ann Arbor, officers responded at 16:10 EST (21:10 GMT) on Wednesday to investigate reports of an alleged assault.
Police from the neighbouring city of Saline then “assisted in locating and detaining former University of Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore”, a statement from Saline police said, according to ESPN.
“Mr. Moore was turned over to the Pittsfield Township Police Department for investigation into potential charges.”
Pittsfield police said a suspect was “lodged” at a Washtenaw County jail while prosecutors reviewed charges.
Details of the alleged inappropriate relationship and assault were not released.
Mr Moore could not be reached for comment. Police said he remained in custody on Thursday, and family members did not respond to inquiries from the BBC.
Mr Moore joined the Michigan Wolverines in 2018 as a tight-end coach. He became acting head coach in the 2023 season for three games, while then-head coach Jim Harbaugh was under suspension.
Mr Moore won each of the three games and was officially made head coach after Mr Harbaugh left to coach in the NFL.
