Sherrone Moore’s firing from the University of Michigan for “inappropriate conduct” allegedly with 24-year-old staffer Paige Shiver and the escalating drama that transpired in the four hours after the second-year coach’s dream job was snatched from him in the wake of his revealed infidelities has shocked the sports world.
It’s become the sports story of this current social media new cycle, but Moore’s transgressions — which have not only led to his firing, but a subsequent arrest for potential assault with a deadly weapon and the likelihood that he just let $14M walk out the door amidst a damaged marriage – is not anything new in the world of sports.
Michigan State HC Mel Tucker Blows $79M In Contract Money Behind Sexual Assault Accusations By Brenda Tracy
Michigan State coach Mel Tucker signed a 10-year/$95M contract in 2021 and then went out bad when greasy phone talk led to him being fired in 2023 amid allegations of sexual harassment by Brenda Tracy, a SA survivor and activist. Tucker still had $79M left on his contract and blew it.
In October 2023, just short of a month after firing Tucker, a Michigan State investigation supported the school’s findings that Tucker had sexually harassed Tracy while she worked with his football team. Tracy speaks with college athletics teams about SA. In December 2022, she filed a complaint with MSU against Tucker that accused him of making sexual comments and masturbating without her consent during an April 2022 phone call. Tucker didn’t deny the claims but said they were consensual.
Mel and his wife, Jo-Ellyn Tucker, divorced shortly after the scandal. The couple married in 2000 when Mel was a defensive backs coach at LSU. They have two sons, Joseph and Christian.
Ime Udoka Lost Nia Long, Boston Celtics Job For Affair With Married Celtics Employee
Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka almost saw his NBA coaching dreams go up in flames when the former Boston Celtics coach was suspended for the entire 2022-23 season for engaging in an inappropriate relationship with a female staff member – allegedly the wife of a high-ranking Celtics executive – which violated team rules. It was the longest suspension for a head coach in NBA history.
Udoka was also in a longtime relationship with actress Nia Long with whom he shares a son and had just led the Celtics to the NBA Finals in his first season as head coach (2021-22). By September of 2022 scandal had grounded his championship journey. The scandal was messy, and it led to debates and heated accusations being tossed from one media member to the other.
Udoka lost one of the coveted jobs in sports for something totally unrelated to basketball and it hurt his reputation. However, he was able to quickly rebound, and the Rockets hired Udoka as their head coach two months later. He’s currently trying to win an NBA Championship with Kevin Durant in Houston.
Arkansas HC Bobby Petrino Crashes Motorcycle Unveiling Scandalous Affair With 25-Year-Old Volleyball Team Coordinator, Losing $18M
Bobby Petrino, the current interim head coach at Arkansas, was a star in the college coaching ranks who had his career marred by a scandal that unfolded in 2012, involving an affair between Petrino and Jessica Dorrell, a 25-year-old former Arkansas volleyball player and the program’s player development coordinator.
RELATED: Love and Football: Bobby Petrino And Louisville Play Double or Nothing
“He made the decision, a conscious decision, to mislead the public on Tuesday, and in doing so negatively and adversely affected the reputation of the University of Arkansas and our football program,” the school said in a statement. “In short, Coach Petrino engaged in a pattern of misleading and manipulative behavior designed to deceive me and members of the athletic staff, both before and after the motorcycle accident.
“Our expectations of character and integrity in our employees can be no less than what we expect of our students. No single individual is bigger than the team, the Razorback football program of the University of Arkansas.”
The affair came out in the wash after Petrino crashed his motorcycle and initially told police he was on the bike alone. An investigation discovered that Dorrell, who was hired a few months prior to the accident, was also riding on the bike. Not only that, but it was also revealed that Petrino had a significant relationship with her and gifted her $20,000.
Arkansas investigated and deemed his actions a violation of its affirmative action policy by hiring his side piece, as the university required a job opening to be posted for at least 30 days before candidates could begin interviewing for the position.
Three months after guiding Arkansas to an 11-2 record and a win in the Cotton Bowl, Petrino was fired and lost $18M in the exit. Being able to return 12 years later and now be in a position to right his wrongs for what he said at the time were “selfish decisions,” is rare for anyone, but offers hope for others who have made similar mistakes.
Joy Taylor Loses Prime Job As Host Of “Speak” Following FS1 Sex Scandal Lawsuit
Joy Taylor isn’t a football coach, but her explosive sex scandal basically derailed a promising sports media career as co-host of FS1’s popular daily show, “Speak.”
Noushin Faraji, a former hairstylist for FS1, filed a lawsuit in January of 2025, accusing former host Skip Bayless of sexual misconduct, which included offering Faraji a whopping sum of $1.5 million for intercourse. Faraji also accused current FS1 host Joy Taylor of harassment on the basis of ethnicity. Within that drama it was alleged that Taylor slept her way into her position as one of the faces of the station and a “Speak” co-host.
She also alleged that the Fox Sports executive Dixon grabbed her butt at a birthday party. The suit says when Faraji confided in Taylor about the incident, the “Speak” host told her to “get over it.”
Taylor was not only mentioned in that encounter but also in various others concerning Dixon. Faraji’s claim says Taylor slept with Dixon to land the different opportunities she’s received since being at the network, and this relationship was an open secret in the workplace.
Former FS1 employees such as Jason Whitlock and Marcellus Wiley even alleged that they were aware of a relationship between Taylor and co-host Emmanuel Acho, going as far to imply that there was a plot to get rid of Wiley, navigated through love affairs between Taylor, a Fox executive named Charlie Dixon and Acho. Taylor has neither admitted nor denied any of these allegations.
Chris Carter On Why Joy Taylor Got Fired
Taylor started her career at FS1 as a moderator for “Undisputed” with Bayless and Shannon Sharpe before being named the co-host of “The Herd” with Colin Cowherd. She parlayed that into her own show, “Speak,” which also featured former Super Bowl wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson and top 75 NBA legend Paul Pierce.
It was announced in July that FS1 was getting rid of Joy’s show and letting her contract expire. At the time, NFL legend Cris Carter commented on Taylor’s tragic turn with FS1. He believes she was fired because she was mentioned in a reputation-damaging lawsuit.
“Fox had no choice but to fire her,” Carter said to reporters at the time. “Anytime you have those rumors as far as someone as far as talent that has a relationship with an executive, which they were rumored to, her and Charlie Dixon who created all those shows.”
All of these sports figures were talented and rose to the top of their respective professions with dream jobs that people would give a right arm for. However, they all fell victim in some way to selfish pursuits and a lack of discipline. Some will recover, others careers and personal lives might never.
