Michigan and drama have become synonymous now. First, the sign-stealing scandal broke, then Sherrone Moore’s “infidelity” controversy and firing happened. And now, reports have emerged that Michigan’s coaching staff was having an ugly rift with the former head coach months before his firing. The Wolverines’ DC opened up about the whole ordeal in an emotional interview.

“I was just talking to [linebacker Jimmy Rolder] about it: With Twitter and everything else, it’s entertaining for people to see all this,” Michigan DC Wink Martindale said on December 28 after breaking down in tears. “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.”

Michigan was cruising well, playing good football, and everything was locked on for good for the 2026 season. Except that Sherrone Moore had something wildly controversial cooking behind the scenes. Credible evidence about Moore’s inappropriate relationship with a Michigan staffer emerged, and he was fired without cause.

“It’s a tough situation. First of all, I know what we signed up for in coaching, the profession itself: moving. My wife has moved enough,” Martindale elaborated. “But, it’s hard because of not only the relationships that you have — we’ve become family, because we actually spend more time, as far as the coaches themselves, the assistants, together than we do with our families.”

Wink Martindale has been with Michigan since the start of the 2024 season. It marked his return to college football after 21 years in the NFL, and that transition alone wasn’t simple. Plus, the Wolverines’ DC also feels for the players who had put their trust in Sherrone Moore, and all of it spiraled backwards.

The veterans who had plans to maybe win a national title have seen it all go down the drain. The coaches who had bought their homes and enrolled their kids in Ann Arbor would see their family uprooted. Even the backroom staff is reportedly getting a new look as the program seeks to move in a new direction, away from its murky past. Michigan is now officially in a rebuild mode as former Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham has become the program’s new head coach.

A hideous fight between Michigan coaches and Sherrone Moore happened as the program turned a blind eye

Michigan is still reeling from the fallout of its sign-stealing scandal, which broke in 2023. The NCAA later made a decision and fined the program, which could cost up to $30 million. The scandal not only overshadowed Michigan’s 2023 national title win but also renewed conversations about the university’s controversies. Then there were the COVID-era recruiting violations for which former head coach Jim Harbaugh faced a three-game suspension.

Matt Weiss’ cyber snooping controversy again brought Michigan back in the news. The former Co-offensive coordinator had allegedly accessed thousands of personal photos and videos of student athletes. Now, reports have emerged that Moore was already showing signs of instability in guiding as a head coach back in February 2025.

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According to reports, a conversation between Moore and Martindale took an ugly turn when Moore overheard coaches discussing a potential recruit. The 39-year-old didn’t like “people talking behind his back” regarding recruits. Martindale, in response, explained that the coaches were “trying to help you…get in the right recruits.” But that’s where Moore became aggressive.

“You don’t know what the [expletive] you’re doing,” Moore said. “Yeah … I’m just the old guy,” a 60-year-old Martindale replied. Immediately, the former Michigan head coach began crying and opened up about how hard it was to be the Michigan head coach. “You don’t know how hard it is to be the head football coach and the pressure.”

Later, it was revealed by a Michigan official that Moore didn’t talk to the coaches for weeks after the argument. Additionally, he maintained a tense relationship with DC Wink Martindale. All things considered, the signs were all there for the program and Athletic Director Warde Manuel to see if they wanted to.

If the rumblings had been noted earlier, perhaps a contingency plan could have been in place for things going south. But none of it happened. And now, Michigan is officially starting from scratch just two years after Jim Harbaugh’s controversial departure.