Michigan's nearly $12 million investigation into its athletic department is facing new criticism from ESPN's Dan Wetzel. The review followed former football coach Sherrone Moore's dismissal but ended without a public report.

According to ESPN's Dan Wetzel, Michigan hired Chicago-based law firm Jenner & Block in December to conduct the review after Moore's firing and a series of other controversies.

"So if there isn't a widespread problem, why the need for a new athletic director? Or rather, if a new athletic director is necessary, why wait until the end of the year?" Wetzel wrote. "The whole point here is to go in circles; this investigation was really just a strange waste of money."

According to ESPN's report, Wetzel questioned why Michigan commissioned such an expensive review at all. He argued the school spent millions only to reach a conclusion many already expected.

The investigation followed several unrelated controversies across Michigan athletics in recent years.

After six months of work, the firm conducted roughly 350 interviews, reviewed more than 20,000 pages of documents and followed up on about 90 tips before concluding misconduct was not widespread throughout the department. It raised questions about whether Michigan needed to spend $12 million to produce those findings.

He noted that athletic director Warde Manuel is set to leave at the end of the year despite the investigation finding no department-wide misconduct. He added that buying out Manuel's contract would have cost less than the investigation itself.

Those ranged from NCAA investigations and the sign-stealing scandal to federal criminal charges against a former assistant coach and the legal issues that ultimately led to Sherrone Moore's dismissal on December 10, after an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.

While Wetzel criticized both the cost and outcome of the investigation, others have focused on the university's decision not to release a written report.

Michigan defends decision to keep investigation report private

According to The Detroit News, Marquette University Law School professor Aaron Hernandez questioned why the findings were not made public despite the significant expense.

"For $12 million, the university should have made a comprehensive report — whether it was given to the Board of Regents or not," Hernandez said.

Hernandez said the university likely relied on verbal briefings to limit legal exposure and keep the findings out of public records requests.

Michigan, however, said the review achieved its goal. The university argued confidentiality protects participants, encourages witnesses to cooperate and preserves attorney-client privilege.

Michigan has already started moving ahead. Manuel will leave at the end of the year, and the athletic department has already begun implementing the review's governance and compliance recommendations.

What are your views on Michigan's $12 million investigation? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Evince Das

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar