The Sherrone Moore saga brought an end to a tumultuous period in Michigan’s history. Not only was he let go by the program, but many of his assistants also didn’t find a spot in the new regime. One of them was defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, who has since interviewed for vacancies in the pros. While doing so, he also appears to have burned all bridges with Michigan.

A Facebook marketplace post listed Martindale’s Michigan gear on sale. It included his Jordan shorts, Nike sweatpants, and joggers, selling for $30 and $45 each. Apart from that, Martindale’s cut-sleeved t-shirts were also in stock, selling for $123.

“Some of the t-shirts have had the sleeves cut off to accommodate this coach’s preferred style,” the post read. While it’s hard to say for certain that the gear belongs to Martindale, the evidence points to him, given the 2X/3X listed sizes and cut-sleeved t-shirts.

“Coach Wink is selling his gear on Facebook,” wrote a popular Michigan account, Wings, on X. Martindale’s move to sell the Michigan gear has now attracted widespread criticism on social media.

The move drew criticism, with fans on social media pointing out the apparent pettiness of selling gear for a few dollars when Martindale was a multi-million dollar coach, earning a reported $2.5 million in his final season. If Martindale had stayed this year, the former DC would be making $2.7 million.

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This adds another layer to his earlier comments, in which he expressed disappointment over the program’s decision to let him go.

“My wife has moved enough,” Martindale said after reports emerged that Michigan would release him. “It’s hard because of not only the relationships that you have—we’ve become family. It’s entertaining for people to see all this. I’m getting emotional talking about it. It’s real life. There are little ones that have to be uprooted from school and things like that. It sucks.”

The Dayton, Ohio, native didn’t have his best year at Michigan in 2025. His total defense ranked 23rd nationally, down from 10th in 2024. The rushing defense middled at 19th nationally, slipping from a 5th-ranked position in 2024. At the same time, not everything was good between the head coach, Sherrone Moore, and Martindale, and the duo even had a heated confrontation. After Sherrone Moore was fired, new head coach Kyle Whittingham didn’t retain Martindale.

What has Martindale been doing ever since his UM departure?

Ever since departing Michigan, Martindale has interviewed for multiple NFL roles. Most recently, he interviewed for the Jets position and emerged as the “early favorite” for the defensive coordinator job. “On the Jets DC search: Wink Martindale was viewed as a top contender headed into Saturday’s meeting,” The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt reported.

Subsequently, Wink flew to New York and had an in-person interview with head coach Aaron Glenn. But according to reports, Aaron Glenn wanted to call the plays, while Martindale would have remained in the team’s DC role. The 62-year-old reportedly didn’t like it, and ESPN reported that he “wasn’t comfortable with the setup.” Finally, Glenn moved away from the former Michigan DC and hired Dolphins assistant Brian Duker, who had no play-calling experience.

Landing an NFL job won’t be a tough task for Martindale, though. He has spent much of his coaching career in the NFL, coaching teams like the Raiders, the Denver Broncos, the Ravens, and, most recently, the New York Giants. At Giants, however, the Ohio native had an ugly exit in 2024, as reports emerged that he had cursed and screamed at head coach Brian Daboll after a staff firing.