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Michigan interim head coach Biff Poggi revealed this week that his players are battling emotions of betrayal and anger ahead of their bowl game appearance in the wake of the scandal involving former coach Sherrone Moore.
In his first media availability after Moore was fired last week and subsequently jailed on three charges, including a felony home invasion, Poggi told the media that he has been helping players process after the university revealed that Moore had been fired for having an inappropriate relationship with a staffer.
“It has been a tumultuous time,” Poggi said, via ESPN. “A lot of … first disbelief, then anger, then really, what we’re in right now is the kids, quite frankly, feel very betrayed, and we’re trying to work through that.”
Poggi, who previously stepped in to coach this season as Moore served a self-imposed suspension for previous NCAA violations, said he’s doing his part through his actions “because words are cheap, and that takes a lot of time. What it really takes is you being willing to listen.”
Moore appeared in a Washtenaw County court on Friday, where his bond was set at $25,000 and included several conditions, including no contact with the alleged victim in the case. A not guilty plea was entered for him.
Prosecutors detailed the alleged events that led up to Moore’s arrest on Wednesday, including that Moore had engaged in an “intimate relationship” with the Michigan staffer for “a number of years” and that on Monday the woman broke up with him.
SHERRONE MOORE FACES STALKING, HOME INVASION CHARGES AS PROSECUTORS DETAIL DISTURBING ALLEGATIONS
Prosecutors accused Moore of contacting the staffer via phone calls and texts after the breakup, prompting the victim to contact the University of Michigan and cooperate in its investigation. Moore was subsequently fired from his position as head football coach, which prosecutors said prompted him to show up at the woman’s home.
Moore then allegedly “barged” his way into the residence, grabbed a butter knife and a pair of scissors, and then began threatening his own life. According to prosecutors, Moore allegedly told the staffer, “my blood is on your hands” and “you ruined my life.”
The University of Michigan hired a law firm to independently investigate the situation, and sources told The Associated Press that the probe will expand beyond the football program to include the athletic department.
Michigan is scheduled to face Texas in the Citrus Bowl on Dec. 31. Poggi said this week that players have been given the opportunity to decide if they want to partake in the game.
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“They’re not over yet, and I don’t expect them to be over for a while. The mandate that Warde Manuel gave me as the athletic director when he asked me to be the interim coach, was to love and take care of the kids, and so that’s what I’m spending all of my time doing.”
The implications of the latest scandal to plague the Michigan program will likely go beyond this season’s bowl game.
Of the 27 prospects that signed commitments to play football there less than two weeks ago, at least two have already requested and were granted releases by Michigan.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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