A former Michigan assistant coach, Chris Partridge, has filed a lawsuit accusing the university of knowing about and deliberately concealing a sign‑stealing operation before the 2023 football season.
The lawsuit and its fallout
According to the complaint, former president Santa Ono and current athletic director Warde Manuel uncovered evidence of the scheme during a January 2023 probe into former assistant Matthew Weiss, who was later charged with 24 federal crimes for hacking female athletes’ accounts and stealing private photographs.
Partridge alleges that Ono instructed Manuel and other staff not to take notes on the investigation, preventing the matter from being reported to the NCAA or the university’s board of regents, a claim that has intensified scrutiny of the administration’s handling of the scandal.
The lawsuit also asserts that university leaders were aware of an inappropriate relationship between former head coach Sherrone Moore and a subordinate employee for years, yet failed to protect the employee, a allegation that surfaced after Moore was dismissed on Dec. 10 for allegedly harassing Paige Shiver, his former executive assistant.
Legal ripples and institutional response
Shiver, who no longer works at Michigan, has separately sued the school, claiming violations of the Freedom of Information Act in the denial of her requests concerning Moore’s termination, adding another layer of legal pressure on the athletics department.
The sign‑stealing controversy erupted publicly during the 2023 season, prompting the Big Ten to intervene and suspend head coach Jim Harbaugh for three games; Michigan went on to capture the national championship before Harbaugh left for the Los Angeles Chargers.
The NCAA subsequently imposed a substantial fine, issued a 10‑year show‑cause penalty to Harbaugh, and placed the program on four years of probation, underscoring the severity of the infractions.
Amid these developments, Warde Manuel is reportedly weighing his future, with rumors of retirement or a negotiated exit circulating after he signed a five‑year contract extension through June 2030 that would obligate the university to pay three years’ salary if he were dismissed without a settlement.
The university commissioned an $11 million investigation by Chicago‑based firm Jenner & Block, whose findings have yet to be released but are expected to be presented to the board of regents, while the legal battles continue to unfold.