ANN ARBOR - Former Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore pleaded no contest Friday to misdemeanor charges of trespassing and malicious use of a telecommunications device. The plea agreement resulted in the dismissal of several other charges, including a felony count of home invasion.
The deal was struck the same day a judge was scheduled to hear a challenge to Moore’s arrest from December. Moore was fired by the University of Michigan on Dec. 10 following allegations involving a relationship with a staff member and a subsequent confrontation at her apartment.
In dismissing Moore, the university cited an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. Assistant prosecutor Katie Rezmierski said the woman involved ended the affair a few days before Moore’s firing and cooperated with the school’s investigation.
The woman accused Moore of domestic violence and stalking. According to police, she did not answer 12 calls or respond to several text messages from him before he was dismissed from the university. Authorities said Moore confronted the woman at her apartment, blamed her for his firing, and threatened to kill himself with butter knives.
Ellen Michaels, the lawyer representing Moore, defended her client’s actions regarding the communication. “It’s not stalking if the communication has a legitimate purpose,” Michaels said. She also accused the woman’s personal lawyer of providing information to police to “villainize Mr. Moore and maximize the chances of obtaining a large settlement from the deep pockets of the University of Michigan.”
Following the court appearance, Michaels addressed the dismissal of the felony charges. “The dismissal of those charges validates the concerns we raised about the investigation from the very beginning,” Michaels said. “Mr. Moore is pleased to put this behind him and move forward.” Moore arrived at the courthouse on Friday with his wife, Kelli, and the couple walked into the courtroom holding hands.