The University of Michigan has parted ways with Paige Shiver, the former executive assistant whose relationship with ex-football coach Sherrone Moore sparked a scandal that ended his tenure and led to criminal charges.
A university athletic department spokesman confirmed to TMZ Sports that Shiver’s contract expired and was not renewed, effective in early March 2026. The move comes more than two months after Moore’s abrupt dismissal in December 2025 and just days after another court development in the criminal case against him.
Moore, who took over as head coach when Jim Harbaugh left for the NFL, was fired for cause after an internal investigation determined he had engaged in an “inappropriate relationship with a staff member.” Shiver later came forward to university officials with evidence of the relationship after it ended, according to multiple reports.
Hours after his termination, Ann Arbor police arrested Moore and charged him with third-degree home invasion, stalking and breaking and entering. Prosecutors alleged Moore went to Shiver’s apartment uninvited, forced his way inside, grabbed kitchen items including butter knives and scissors, and threatened self-harm while telling her, “My blood is on your hands. You ruined my life.” They said Moore had repeatedly contacted Shiver in the days leading up to his firing.
Moore was released on $25,000 bond with conditions that included GPS monitoring, no contact with Shiver, and continued mental-health treatment. He has pleaded not guilty and maintains his innocence.
In a Feb. 17, 2026, court hearing, Washtenaw County District Judge J. Cedric Simpson expressed serious concerns about how the arrest warrant was obtained. The judge said a police detective made a “glaring omission” by failing to disclose to the magistrate that Moore and the alleged victim had an employer-employee relationship at the time of the alleged incident.
Simpson described the warrant application as “misleading” and “one-sided,” noting that the context of their professional dynamic at Michigan’s football program was left out entirely. He said the magistrate who approved the warrant should have been given the full picture, and he raised the possibility that Moore’s due-process rights may have been violated.
The judge granted Moore’s defense team an evidentiary hearing — originally scheduled for March 2 — to examine the police investigation and determine whether the charges should be dismissed. Defense attorney Ellen Michaels argued the omission improperly influenced probable cause.
Michigan has moved quickly to rebuild its program under new head coach Kyle Whittingham, hired from Utah in the weeks after Moore’s firing. The university has also added to its front-office staff, most recently hiring Skylar Phan from USC to a personnel role focused on recruiting strategy. Phan, previously the director of recruiting strategy for the Trojans — where she helped orchestrate the nation’s No. 1-ranked 2026 recruiting class — will oversee official and unofficial visits, provide individual recruiting strategies, and build relationships with top targets and their families.
The timing of Phan’s hire, coming amid the closure of the Shiver chapter and the ongoing fallout from the Moore scandal, has raised eyebrows in some circles — with social media speculation suggesting it’s hardly a coincidence given the program’s recent history of controversy involving staff relationships and the need to project a fresh, high-profile image in recruiting. Phan is widely regarded as an up-and-coming superstar in college football’s front-office landscape, with prior stops at Texas, Houston, North Texas, and an internship with the Las Vegas Raiders
Shiver’s quiet exit from the athletic department closes one chapter in a saga that has drawn national attention because of the intersection of a high-profile Big Ten football program, workplace misconduct allegations and subsequent criminal proceedings. No additional details about her future plans were immediately available, and Moore’s legal team has not commented on the latest employment development.
Flip the pages for photos of Skylar Phan and Paige Shiver.
