Former Michigan Wolverines assistant soccer coach Chris Partridge believes he was used as a scapegoat.
The Wolverines fired him as they have been coping with the 2023 sign-stealing scandal, centered on former staffer Connor Stalions, who was working an “superior scouting operation” for Michigan soccer.
Partridge was fired by Michigan regardless of by no means being alleged to have participated within the sign-stealing scheme. He was by no means even alleged to have recognized about it.
It was claimed that Partridge, now a linebackers coach for the Tremendous Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, informed a Michigan participant to not cooperate with the NCAA investigation and that he even destroyed proof.
Partridge was later cleared of any wrongdoing by the NCAA, however now he is suing Michigan, the board of trustees and athletic director Warde Manuel in federal court docket. He is in search of “the restoration of misplaced wages in addition to for damages because of the affect the firing had on his skilled fame, profession prospects and private well being,” based on Dan Wetzel of ESPN.
Former Michigan assistant coach Chris Partridge is suing the college and athletic director Warde Manuel
“I all the time consider that the reality will finally come out,” Partridge stated, by way of Wetzel. “I went all through the method with the NCAA and the reality prevailed. And I really feel I’ve to go all through the method with Michigan for the reality with Michigan to prevail.”
Partridge is alleging that Huge Ten commissioner Tony Petitti “introduced Manuel with uncorroborated, second-hand, inflammatory data” relating to his function within the scandal.
The grievance alleges that Petitti “threatened to embarrass Michigan by presenting” that data throughout an injunction listening to relating to the suspension of Jim Harbaugh, who was the Wolverines head coach on the time. That “data” would have additionally possible led the court docket to disclaim Michigan and Harbaugh’s injunction request.
The grievance additionally alleges that Manuel supplied to fireplace Partridge and to dismiss Michigan’s authorized declare in opposition to the Huge Ten and Petitti, whereas Petitti had agreed to not “publicly disclose the sensationalized data” he had on Partridge and “to do nothing additional relating to the NCAA’s ‘sign-stealing’ investigation.”
Chris Partridge desires to be a university soccer head coach
Partridge was fired, however in 2025, the NCAA Committee on Infractions cleared him of three separate alleged violations, together with the “failure to cooperate” allegation.
The lawsuit states that Manuel informed the committee that “he was underneath immense stress on the time he fired Partridge” and “due to this stress, he made hasty choices.”
Regardless of being an NFL assistant coach, Partridge believes this complete saga has negatively impacted his capability to at some point coach school soccer once more, and that is his purpose.
He desires to be a university soccer head coach, so he is suing to proceed clearing his identify.
“My ardour is to be a head school coach,” Partridge informed ESPN. “That has all the time been a dream of mine. I am not going to surrender on that simply because different folks made dangerous choices.”
