On Saturday, just five days after it was announced that Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel will step down at the end of the calendar year, Manuel’s buyout was obtained by The Detroit News. He will receive over $7 million, along with additional compensation.
Until he leaves at the end of the calendar year, Manuel will obtain his typical monthly salary. Within 21 days of his resignation, he will also receive a lump-sum payment of $7,143,346 in addition to a retirement contribution that will total $108,000. Manuel will also have access to former athletic directors’ usual benefits of sports tickets and golf privileges. As part of the settlement, Manuel signed a non-compete clause, barring him from working as an athletic director or high-ranking advisor at any other Big Ten school for the next two years.
Manuel signed the settlement agreement on July 17, 2026, just three days before University of Michigan president Domenico Grasso announced Manuel’s resignation, but the settlement wasn’t released until a week later. The announcement of Manuel’s departure came on the tail end of the Jenner & Block investigation into the athletic department that found issues within the department’s management.
Although Manuel is leaving following multiple scandals, the most recent of which was the firing and subsequent arrest of former football coach Sherrone Moore, he’s also leaving with multiple national championships — and a large sum of money to compensate for his 11 years in charge.
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