In the wake of the arrest and termination of former Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore, some reports have repeated the allegation that Moore had a “long history of domestic violence” against Paigh Shiver a woman with whom he reportedly had an intimate relationship. That characterization, based on statements from the accuser’s attorney, does not align with the factual record available to the public.
At a preliminary hearing related to Moore’s Dec. 10 arrest in Washtenaw County, the attorney for the woman involved in the incident described to 911 dispatchers that Moore was “very dangerous” and had a “long history of domestic violence.” Those statements were made in the context of an emergency call and have been reported in media accounts of the case.
However, court records do not document any prior charges or convictions of domestic violence against Moore, and there is no public criminal record showing he was ever charged with assault or any form of domestic abuse before this case. Prosecutors have charged Moore with felony third-degree home invasion and misdemeanor stalking and breaking-and-entering in connection with the Dec. 10 incident, but he has not been charged with domestic violence in the past.
Moore and the woman involved acknowledged to police that they had been in a relationship for about two years. That relationship was known privately to associates but did not result in any public reports or police involvement prior to the recent events, according to available testimonies.
Legal experts note that statements made by an attorney during a heated on-scene call are not evidence of a pattern of behavior. They are advocacy on behalf of a client in crisis, not a verified account of past conduct. In this case, the only alleged violent behavior now before the court stems from the single incident that led to Moore’s arrest — and that incident itself remains subject to legal review and Moore’s right to due process.
Moore, who has been married for years and has three daughters, had no prior criminal history publicly on file before the Dec. 10 charges and has denied the alleged behavior.
The difference between a lawyer’s allegation and a documented criminal history matters in public discussion. Until evidence of other incidents is presented in court or in verified records, framing Moore as having a “long history of domestic violence” goes beyond what is supported by the record and conflates a single allegation with an established pattern of criminal behavior.
Trying to paint Sherrone Moore as an angry black man who has abused his white girlfriend is often something used to gain sympathy for the victim, regardless of whether it is true or not.
The lawyer may be correct, and Moore may be some monster, but until there is evidence presented to that effect, those labels shouldn’t be thrown around lightly. The only factual thing we know from the prosecutor themselves is that the only person who was in harm’s way was Moore himself.
Flip the pages for photos of Paige Shiver.
