Warde Manuel Is Out at Michigan, But Is He to Blame?

Warde Manuel Is OUT...Eventually

Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel is stepping down at the end of the year, following the release of a summary from an outside review into the Michigan athletic department’s culture, oversight, and accountability.

Tony Gerdeman and Tom Orr discuss what Michigan revealed, what it did not reveal, why Manuel is staying on through the end of the year, and how the report frames issues inside the athletic department. They also look at the long list of Michigan football controversies and suspensions in recent years, the challenge of overseeing a major football program, and whether Manuel is being fairly blamed for what happened on his watch.

00:00 — Intro
00:11 — Tom introduces the “$11 million episode”
00:30 — Warde Manuel is out — eventually
01:03 — Why Manuel is staying through the end of the year
01:34 — What Michigan released from the outside review
02:47 — The report’s positives and vague negatives
03:44 — The “deep and wet well” analogy
04:59 — Failures of oversight and accountability
06:04 — Why Manuel is being asked to help fix the culture
07:38 — Why Michigan may want stability right now
08:38 — Oversight issues inside the football program
10:50 — Michigan’s recent suspension history
11:40 — The coaches, not the players, have been the issue
12:48 — How much blame belongs to Warde Manuel?
15:19 — Carefully worded exits and Michigan’s culture of accountability
16:40 — Why Kyle Whittingham may represent a culture reset
17:46 — Final thoughts and listener question

Is Warde Manuel to blame for Michigan’s recent athletic department issues, or is he being unfairly railroaded? Drop your thoughts in the comments.

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