In his first public comments since becoming Michigan’s interim coach following Sherrone Moore’s firing and arrest, Biff Poggi declared Monday that his players “feel very betrayed.”
Poggi spoke in Orlando, Fla., where he and Texas coach Steve Sarkisian visited to drum up interest in their teams’ Citrus Bowl clash Dec. 31.
But thoughts of the game between the 13th-ranked Longhorns (9-3) and the No. 18 Wolverines (9-3) have been on the backburner since Wednesday, when the 39-year-old Moore was fired with cause by Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel for an inappropriate relationship with an employee in the football office.
Shortly after his firing, Moore went to the staffer’s residence uninvited. On Friday, he was charged with third-degree home invasion, stalking and breaking and entering. He was released after posting $25,000 bond.
“It has been a tumultuous time,” Poggi said. “A lot of … first, disbelief, and anger. Really, what we’re in right now is the phase of — the kids, quite frankly, feel very betrayed. And we’re trying to work through that.”
Poggi, who served as an associate head coach for Jim Harbaugh at Michigan, spent the 2023-24 seasons as Charlotte’s head coach. After posting a 6-16 record there, he returned to Ann Arbor this year as Moore’s associate head coach. Poggi was named the Wolverines’ acting head coach for two games in September while Moore served a suspension for his role in the Connor Stalions sign-stealing scandal.
To say the Wolverines’ current situation is rare would be an understatement.
“Multiple levels of complexity that our young people are dealing with, our university’s dealing with, our athletic director Warde Manuel’s dealing with,” Poggi said in low, measured tones. “You know, our team, our coaches and our kids (too). It’s been … I don’t know that you can prepare for something like this. It’s been, I’ll just say, complicated.”
Poggi indicated he has met with all of the players and their parents (via Zoom) on several occasions.
“The message has been listening, right? I want to listen to them,” Poggi said. “I want to understand what the kids are feeling and what their parents are feeling. And so, a lot of listening. There has been a wide range of emotions, as you can imagine. We’re kind of going through those steps. They’re not over yet, and I don’t expect them to be over for a while, quite frankly.”
