• ESPN News Services

Jan 22, 2026, 01:30 PM ET

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — A lawyer for fired

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    Moore was abruptly fired Dec. 10 for having an inappropriate relationship and for lying during the university’s investigation, his dismissal letter states.

    Authorities say Moore later that day entered the woman’s apartment, blamed her for the firing and grabbed butter knives and kitchen scissors while threatening to kill himself.

    A prosecutor quoted Moore as telling the woman, “My blood is on your hands.”

    Michaels, who spoke outside the courthouse after the status conference, took issue with that account. She said the warrant to arrest Moore was deeply flawed because police wrongly informed a magistrate that Moore had been stalking the woman for months and was dangerous.

    Michaels said police relied on misinformation from the woman’s personal lawyer, Heidi Sharp, as it investigated what happened. Michaels doesn’t dispute that Moore turned up at the woman’s apartment, but she claims there’s no evidence that she had told him to stay away.

    “A magistrate must be given a fair and accurate picture. When the picture is distorted, the warrant cannot stand,” Michaels wrote.

    She accused Sharp of giving 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.”

    A message seeking comment from Sharp was not immediately returned.

    A probable cause conference was adjourned until March 19 as the defense continued to collect evidence that Michaels said would focus on accounts of the situation. Michaels said she filed a motion Thursday seeking to toss out the arrest report in a separate hearing scheduled for Feb. 17 in front of Washtenaw County 14A-1 District Court Judge J. Cedric Simpson.

    Moore arrived at court with his family, including his wife, Kelli, with whom he shares three young children. The courthouse is less than 4 miles from Michigan Stadium, where Moore led the Wolverines the past two seasons, earning a salary of nearly $6 million.

    That all ended Dec. 10, when the university said the staff member revealed the inappropriate relationship. The school’s human relations department had conducted a previous investigation into the situation, but Moore and the staff member denied it then, and no evidence was discovered.

    The staff member told authorities that she broke off the relationship with Moore on Dec. 8 but that she began to fear for her safety when he continued to try to contact her via phone and text. That led to her going to school officials, according to the prosecutor’s narrative.

    Michaels said in court that the defense is seeking school phone records and information from a Title IX investigation, hence the need for delay. Prosecutors have until Feb. 2 to respond to that request.

    ESPN’s Dan Wetzel and The Associated Press contributed to this report.