Glenn "Shemy" Schembechler, the son of the late former Michigan football coach Bo Schembechler, has resigned three days after he announced on social media he had been hired as assistant director of Michigan football recruiting.
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh and athletic director Warde Manuel made the announcement Saturday night in a shared statement.
Schembechler's Twitter timeline had a number of posts and "likes" of multiple offensive and insensitive posts, including several suggesting slavery and Jim Crow were a positive to strengthen Black individuals and families.
Michigan's Standard Practice Guide Policy regarding hiring to the university indicates every employee is subject to a background check. According to the guide: "This policy is intended to support the verification of credentials, criminal history, and other information related to employment and appointment decisions that assist the University in meeting its commitments."
It is unclear what type of pre-employment check Schembechler went through before he was hired by Michigan. Sources indicated Schembechler's insensitive social media posts and likes were brought to the attention of Harbaugh and Manuel on Friday.
"Effective this afternoon, Shemy Schembechler has resigned his position with Michigan Football," Harbaugh and Manuel said in a joint statement released Saturday night. "We are aware of some comments and likes on social media that have caused concern and pain for individuals in our community.
"Michigan athletics is fully committed to a place where our coaches, staff and student-athletes feel welcome and where we fully support the University's and Athletic Department's commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion."
Schembechler posted Wednesday on social media saying he was "beyond honored to return home (to Michigan football)" and Ann Arbor where he grew up while his father coached Michigan from 1969 to 1990. Harbaugh played quarterback under Schembechler.
By Saturday afternoon, he had scrubbed more than 2,000 "likes" and retweets from his Twitter timeline and by Saturday night he had deleted his account.
Schembechler had spent the previous 25 years as an NFL scout, including a decade with Washington. He most recently worked for the Las Vegas Raiders before he reportedly was fired in February.
This is the latest in a number of issues the football program has navigated in recent months. Michigan received a draft of an NCAA Notice of Allegations in January for alleged violations including a Level I — the NCAA's most severe — against Harbaugh for allegedly misleading investigators looking into violations during a COVID-19 recruiting dead period.
Later that month, Matt Weiss, who had been co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, was fired after the UM Police Department opened an investigation into alleged computer crimes at Schembechler Hall, the football building. The investigation remains ongoing.
Last October, running back Donovan Edwards released two statements after he was found to have retweeted an antisemitic comment in a Kanye West video. Edwards later tweeted he is "unequivocally against racism, exploitation & oppression in all forms, including stereotyping and trafficking in hate."
