Former University of Michigan head football coach Sherrone Moore was sentenced to 18 months' probation on Tuesday, bringing closure to a criminal case connected to the scandal over an extramarital affair that cost him his elite job.

Moore, 40, was arrested on December 10, 2025, and charged with stalking, home invasion, and breaking and entering. Earlier that day, he was fired by the university over an inappropriate relationship with an employee.  Prosecutors alleged that Moore sent dozens of texts and eventually showed up at the home of Paige Shiver, his former assistant, threatening both her and himself with butterknives. Moore is married, and his wife, Kelli, was in court with him as he was sentenced, the Detroit News reported.

The original charges could have landed Moore behind bars for years, but last month he pleaded no contest to reduced charges of trespassing and malicious use of a telecommunications device, which are misdemeanors, in a deal with prosecutors. Washtenaw County District Court Judge J. Cedric Simpson, whose no-nonsense style and sense of humor made his courtroom videos popular on YouTube, told Moore that he owed his freedom to his wife, who wrote what Simpson called an impactful letter to the court.

“There’s a certain irony in a lot of this, and it’s a big one,” Simpson said as Moore sat silently. “The person, quite frankly, Mr. Moore, that is saving you from the full wrath of this court is the one you betrayed. I don’t know where your wife, Kelli, finds her strength.”

Moore had problems as Michigan’s head coach from the start. He was the team’s offensive coordinator in 2023 when a signal-stealing scandal enveloped the program, but he still got promoted after Jim Harbaugh left to coach the NFL’s San Diego Chargers in 2024. Moore ended up serving a two-game suspension imposed by the university in 2025. 

Michigan football went 18-8 under his leadership. He was in the second year of a five-year, $27.5 million contract when he was fired.