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Afternoon Edition

December 11, 2025

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Michigan is facing a critical moment after firing head football coach Sherrone Moore, with the program now trying to stabilize leadership and support players, staff, and families. Here’s what we know so far—and what could come next.

— Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]and Eric Fisher [[link removed]]

Everything to Know About Sherrone Moore’s Firing, Arrest

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On Wednesday evening, Michigan abruptly announced that head coach Sherrone Moore had been fired for cause following a university investigation that revealed “credible evidence” that Moore “engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.” Soon after his firing was announced, Moore was detained by local police for an alleged assault.

Here’s everything we know about the situation so far.

Athletic director Warde Manuel announced Moore had been fired for cause in the late afternoon Wednesday for having an affair with a staffer. The university did not name her, though a source familiar with the matter confirmed to Front Office Sports the staffer in question was listed as the executive assistant to the head coach.

The investigation into Moore’s conduct began in November and was prompted by an anonymous tip, the source said. It had not progressed beyond that tip until the school received more information—which the source described as persons involved beginning to tell the truth—in the days leading up to Moore’s firing on Wednesday. At no point did the university investigation find that any of the activity was non-consensual, the source said.

Because Moore was fired for cause, the university will not owe him a buyout. His interim replacement is Biff Poggi, the school announced.

Around the same time as Michigan’s announcement, Pittsfield Township police responded to a dispatch of an “alleged assault” in Saline, Mich., and a “suspect was taken into custody,” the police department said in a statement. The source said reports that Moore had gone to the staffer’s house and threatened self-harm were credible.

Moore was booked at Washtenaw County Jail, where he is still being held; no charges are expected to be brought today, however, according to ESPN [[link removed]].

Michigan’s next steps will be stabilizing the football program—including finding a new head coach—and ensuring the welfare of Moore’s family as well as the staffer, the source said. As for rumors that the university held off until after National Signing Day to ensure recruits didn’t bolt, the source said that was untrue, and that the university acted on the new, credible information as soon as it came to light.

For more on Moore’s dismissal and the situation unfolding in Ann Arbor, read Amanda Christovich’s full story here [[link removed]].

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Read the full article here [[link removed]].

Ellison Takes Fight for TNT Sports Parent Straight to Shareholders [[link removed]]

Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Paramount chair and CEO David Ellison is taking his bid for TNT Sports parent company Warner Bros. Discovery directly to shareholders, and it’s quickly getting emotional.

On the heels of the hostile bid for WBD [[link removed]] by the CBS Sports parent company, tendered earlier this week, Ellison sent a lengthy letter to WBD shareholders imploring them to sell their stock. The missive, running for more than 2,000 words, [[link removed]] is replete with bolded and capitalized words and frequently takes aim at WBD’s definitive $82.7 billion agreement to sell its studio and streaming businesses to Netflix [[link removed]].

“It is not too late to realize the benefits of Paramount’s proposal if you choose to act now and tender your shares,” Ellison wrote in all capital and bolded letters.

The letter also notes what he calls “WBD’s murky sales process,” and he insists that Paramount’s all-cash tender offer, carrying an enterprise value of $108.4 billion for WBD, is entirely solid. That financial backing includes RedBird Capital Partners, several foreign sovereign wealth funds, and Affinity Partners, an investment firm led by Jared Kushner, son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump.

“To suggest we are not ‘good for the money’ (or might commit fraud to try to escape our obligations, as certain reports have speculated), is absurd,” Ellison wrote in another bolded section.

Ellison’s outreach marks the latest and one of the more dramatic turns in a saga that has roiled the entire U.S. media business for months. The fate of TNT Sports hangs in the balance, as Netflix does not want the part of WBD that will become Discovery Global and house those sports assets [[link removed]]. Paramount, conversely, is seeking to acquire all of WBD and would merge CBS Sports with TNT Sports to create a sports media colossus spanning numerous platforms.

Politics, however, will direct much of the future of WBD Sports [[link removed]]. Trump—and by extension the Federal Communications Commission run by Trump ally Brendan Carr—will have a heavy hand in the forthcoming regulatory review process. Most recently, Trump is pushing for WBD to sell CNN, a network the president has long hated. In the current, planned deal with Netflix, CNN would stay with Discovery Global.

“I think CNN should be sold, because I think the people that are running CNN right now are either corrupt or incompetent,” Trump said Wednesday. “I think any deal should be guaranteed and certain that CNN is part of it or sold separately.”

Paramount set a Jan. 8 deadline for WBD stockholders to tender their shares, but that timetable could be extended.

Stock Watching

Netflix, meanwhile, has seen its shares fall noticeably since last Friday’s announcement of its deal with WBD. Since then, shares have dropped more than 9%, including a fall of more than 4% on Wednesday alone. The bid from Netflix includes a sizable amount of debt financing, with the WBD potentially raising the company’s total debt from about $15 billion to roughly $75 billion.

The company, however, remains consistently profitable, generating $2.5 billion in net income [[link removed]] in its last quarter. Some analysts have opined that the potential financial risks of a deal with WBD are manageable, but the market still shows some uncertainty surrounding that sentiment. Earlier in its history, Netflix was derisively known as “Debtflix” as it borrowed heavily to build up its content library.

“We believe this very expensive deal highlights Netflix management’s concern that short-form entertainment (TikTok, Instagram, X, YouTube shorts, and Snap) is doing to streaming what streaming has done to traditional TV,” wrote Pivotal Research Group analyst Jeffrey Wlodarczak, a longtime advocate of Netflix.

Editors’ note: RedBird IMI, in which RedBird Capital Partners is a joint venture partner, is the primary investor in Front Office Sports.

EXCLUSIVE

FloSports Buys Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series

FloSports is acquiring the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series from Lucas Oil, Front Office Sports has confirmed. Lucas Oil will remain the title sponsor under a new multiyear deal. For more on this deal, read Ryan Glasspiegel’s exclusive story here [[link removed]].

Jordan’s 23XI, Front Row Settle Antitrust Fight With NASCAR [[link removed]]

Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

A high-stakes legal fight over the future direction of NASCAR has been abruptly resolved.

Nine days into a jury trial regarding antitrust claims against NASCAR, the motorsports organization reached a settlement agreement with the Michael Jordan–led 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports, the groups that had brought the claims.

Full settlement terms, including financial components, have not been announced, but the deal brings peace to a situation that had upended the sport since October 2024 [[link removed]]. 23XI and Front Row refused to sign a charter agreement NASCAR presented to them last year, with those pacts guaranteeing entry into every race and a larger share of purse money.

A core part of the settlement agreement, however, is the establishment of “evergreen” charters—something that 23XI and Front Row actively sought—instead of renewable ones. Historically, the 36 NASCAR charters have been similar to team franchises in stick-and-ball sports. The value of those charters has also grown, with a sale for one reaching $45 million earlier this year.

The conditions of those charters, however, has been at the core of the legal dispute, with 23XI and Front Row that the terms have been far too restrictive and anticompetitive. The stakes in the dispute were particularly high as both 23XI and Front Row said that a loss in the case would have put them out of business.

“This agreement allows all parties to move forward with a unified focus on advancing stock car racing and deliver exceptional competitions for fans,” 23XI, Front Row, and NASCAR said in a joint statement.

Extended Dispute

During the duration of the legal case, 23XI and Front Row instead have raced as unchartered “open” teams. They alleged that NASCAR, as well as the France family who owns and operates it, were “monopolistic bullies” that curbed competition by binding teams to its series, racetracks, and suppliers.

The agreement arrived after an extended delay during the ninth day of court proceedings. Jordan had been among those who had testified, and earlier this week, he said, “Someone had to step forward and challenge the entity. I wasn’t afraid. I felt I could challenge NASCAR as a whole. … The sport needed to be looked at from a different view.”

Following the settlement, Jordan’s tone changed materially.

“Unfortunately it took 16 months to get here, but I think level heads have gotten us to this point where we can actually work together and grow this sport,” he said. “I am very proud about that.”

Earlier this week, an economist testified that NASCAR owed 23XI and Front Row nearly $365 million in combined damages. The six combined charters for the two teams have been returned for the 2026 season.

“I wish we could’ve done this a few months ago,” said U.S. District Court judge Kenneth Bell. “I believe this is great for NASCAR, great for the future of NASCAR, great for the entity of NASCAR, great for the team, and ultimately, great for the fans.

“Sometimes the parties just have to see how the evidence unfolds to come to the wisdom of a settlement,” Bell said.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS TODAY Michigan Faces Another Coaching Controversy

FOS illustration

Sherrone Moore is in police custody and out of a head coaching job at Michigan after an inappropriate relationship with a staffer. Tony Garcia of the Detroit Free Press joins Front Office Sports Today live from a Michigan courthouse ahead of Moore’s arraignment, answering all of our questions and sifting through some of the misinformation going around social media.

Meanwhile, FOS college sports reporter Amanda Christovich adds details from her own reporting as she and editor-in-chief Dan Roberts join Baker Machado to discuss how Michigan should move forward in the wake of yet another scandal.

Plus, FOS deals reporter Ben Horney joins for Asset Class, presented by Invesco QQQ, to discuss the controversy around the University of Utah’s $500 million private-equity deal, and a huge investment from NFL owners into a new flag football league.

Watch the full episode here. [[link removed]]

STATUS REPORT Two Up, Two Down

Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Mets ⬇ Pressure continues to rise around the big-market MLB club after the free-agency departures of Pete Alonso [[link removed]] to the Orioles and Edwin Díaz [[link removed]] to the Dodgers, and the trade of Brandon Nimmo to the Rangers, with those players having been fan favorites in New York. “We’ve got, certainly, work to do, but there are a lot of good players out there, and I am confident that we’re really going to like where our team is once we get to Opening Day,” said Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns.

Peacock and NFL Network ⬆ The two outlets will gain a boost on Dec. 17 as the NFL finalized its Week 17 broadcast schedule. NFL Network will show the Texans at the Chargers at 4:30 p.m. ET, while NBCUniversal’s Peacock will stream the Ravens at the Packers live at 8 p.m. The Saturday games, a late-season NFL staple, continue to take advantage of a loophole [[link removed]] in the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961.

Denver Summit FC ⬆ The NWSL expansion team’s planned stadium gained critical support from a Denver City Council committee, setting up a final vote by the legislative body later this month. The city is set to contribute at least $50 million, and perhaps $70 million, toward the facility.

World Cup ticket prices ⬇ Sticker shock continues to spread regarding pricing for the upcoming 2026 FIFA men’s World Cup. On Thursday, Football Supporters Europe called prices beginning at more than $4,000 for the final at MetLife Stadium “a monumental betrayal” while also taking aim at the dynamic pricing structure central to the ticket sales. That get-in pricing is nearly seven times the comparable figure for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. FSE also said the ticketing “ignores the contribution of supporters to the spectacle” that the World Cup is, and that it is “astonished by the extortionate ticket prices imposed by FIFA.”

Editors’ Picks Grand Slam Track Files for Bankruptcy, Lays Off More Staff [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]The start-up track league still owes vendors and athletes millions of dollars. NWSL Will Vote on Seismic Rule Change to Keep Stars Like Rodman [[link removed]]by Annie Costabile [[link removed]]The battle over Trinity Rodman’s future could reshape the NWSL. ‘You’ll See More’: Utah Deal Eases PE Concerns in College Sports [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]NCAA president Charlie Baker said Utah’s deal is “really well thought out.” DAILY TRIVIA Factle Sports

Can you rank the top five most valuable soccer clubs in the world?

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