Thoughts for the Day, December 10, 2025: Another one bites the dust at U of M

Sherrone Moore fired as Michigan football coach

“U-M head football coach Sherrone Moore has been terminated, with cause, effective immediately,” according to the statement from Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel. “Following a university investigation, credible evidence was found that Coach Moore engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. This conduct constitutes a clear violation of university policy, and U-M maintains zero tolerance for such behavior.”

Since the University of Michigan instituted five years ago its policy of zero tolerance for an inappropriate relationship with a staff member, it has claimed the career of the president, the provost and now the head football coach. Those are just the ones I know about. I am sure there are more.

There are no excuses for violating the university’s policy. It is very clear. I am glad the University has not turned a blind eye to the issue. I am glad they are enforcing it regardless of someone’s position. I hope the message has been sent loud and clear.

The football program cannot get out of its own way in the last five years. It has been one scandal after another. It is an embarrassment, and it takes away from the accomplishments of the student athletes. Someone needs to say enough is enough.

Rather than talking about the men’s and women’s basketball teams, who are both highly ranked, this firing of Moore and the hiring of his replacement will take over the media. It is a shame.

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Michigan Men’s Basketball Team

I was looking forward to seeing how the team would perform against Villanova last night. Villanova entered the game as the number two offensive rebounding team in the country as well as a highly ranked defensive team. I was surprised Michigan was a 17-point favorite which I thought was too high.

I couldn’t watch the game because we were out to dinner with friends, so when I checked the score at half-time, I nearly fell out of my seat when I saw Michigan was leading 53-23 and Michigan was not shooting well. I just shook my head in amazement and thought to myself, when is this steamrolling going to end. M’s 89-61 win continued their streak of five wins in a row of 25 points or more. The last time that happened was with the 88-89 team, which went on to win the national championship.

Somewhere soon, they are going to have a close game. In the meantime, I am enjoying this unprecedented run.

See my Video of the Day

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Transparency in Michigan State Government will probably not happen in my lifetime.

The governor and the state legislature are using every tool available to them to hide from transparency and from being held accountable to what was said why representing the citizens of Michigan. Fortunately, Bridge Michigan is staying on top of it for us. Here are excerpts from an article in today’s Bridge Michigan.

Want to know what top Michigan economic development officials were chatting about online as their office was raided by Attorney General Dana Nessel in June amid an earmark embezzlement investigation?

Or what state officials and employees were telling each other as President Donald Trump returned to office in January?

Many of those communications may be permanently shielded from public view under a state government policy to automatically delete communications through Microsoft Teams, a communication and collaboration platform widely used in Lansing.

State government agencies delete those chats after 30 days, meaning they generally are no longer available to the public through the Michigan Freedom of Information Act. Emails, by comparison, are retained for seven years and remain available through public records requests.

A spokesperson for the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget, which oversees most of the state’s technology systems, said the quick deletions were for storage reasons, not hiding information from the public.

Bridge Michigan discovered the issue earlier this year when the Department of Technology, Management and Budget denied a reporter’s FOIA request for Teams chats about Trump’s return to office.

An October request for online chats during the June raid of MEDC offices was similarly denied because “the information requested does not exist,” according to a government response to a Bridge request.

Michigan’s open records law does not mandate how long state and local governments must hold on to records, meaning the policy to automatically delete online chats after 30 days does not directly violate the statute.

But it “certainly violates the spirit of transparency” intended under the law, said Derk Wilcox, a senior attorney with the free market-oriented Mackinac Center for Public Policy.

“This is an issue that needs to be dealt with.”

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Hegseth has got to go

Excerpts from the WSJ Editorial Board.

Our view is that the Commander in Chief deserves legal latitude as part of his constitutional war powers. But that doesn’t extend to shooting the wounded in violation of U.S. and international rules of war. The Pentagon’s own law of war manual prohibits “hostilities on the basis that there shall be no survivors.” Such excesses will also turn the public against allowing a President the power he may someday need to defend the country’s interests quickly.

The Hegseth story has additional currency because the Administration isn’t explaining its aims in the Caribbean with either voters or Congress. Sens. Roger Wicker and Jack Reed of the Senate Armed Services Committee, have been writing to the Pentagon asking for more details on the legal rationale for its drug-boat strikes. They seem to get mostly a stonewall.

That’s all the more reason for Congress to learn the truth about the Hegseth story, and some are ready to do so. Reps. Mike Rogers (R., Ala.) and Adam Smith (D., Wash.), the top members on the House Armed Services Committee promised in a statement over the weekend “bipartisan action to gather a full accounting of the operation in question.” The Senate Armed Services Committee also promised an inquiry.

The drug-boat war is presenting questions of presidential power and America’s role in the world that will continue long after President Trump leaves Washington, and good for lawmakers who appreciate the stakes.

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Quote of the Day: “Guys sacrifice minutes and shots, so having an unselfish group is paramount for this team,” Michigan men’s basketball team captain, Will Tschetter, on what makes Michigan’s team so good.

Orchid of the Day: Michigan’s men’s basketball team for their performance over the last five games which has led to their number one ranking

Onion of the Day: Sherrone Moore. Talk about screwing up a good thing.

Question of Day: When you have your dream job, why screw it up for an inappropriate relationship that you know will get your fired?

Lyrics of the Day:

Now the ground is white
Go it while you’re young
Take the girls tonight
Sing this sleighing song
Get a bobtailed bay
Two forty for his speed
And hitch him to an open sleigh
And you will take the lead

If you think you know the answer, post your response in the comment section of the blog.

Lyrics of the Day for December 8, 2025. You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch

Image of the Day:

Villanova Wildcats vs. No. 2 Michigan Wolverines Highlights 🏀 | FOX College Hoops

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