On the eve of the Maryland game, the penultimate contest of the 2023 regular season for Michigan football, the Wolverines got some alarming news: prodigal son and coaching favorite Chris Partridge was dismissed from the program due to the NCAA investigation.
While the details of his firing were unclear, it was deemed that Partridge’s role while NCAA investigators interviewed people on campus was the culprit for his dismissal.
On Wednesday, we learned more details. Via The Athletic’s Austin Meek, who received Partridge’s termination letter from the university, he was fired because he ‘failed to abide by a University directive not to discuss an ongoing NCAA investigation.’
Here’s the letter of termination sent to former Michigan assistant Chris Partridge. UM says he “failed to abide by a University directive not to discuss an ongoing NCAA investigation” and is not eligible for rehire at Michigan. pic.twitter.com/shpv7Z11Fx
— Austin Meek (@byAustinMeek) December 13, 2023
The big blow here is that Partridge is ineligible for rehire by the university. Given that the investigation is ongoing, if he was found to not have any knowledge of Connor Stalions’ sign-stealing scheme, many thought there could be an opportunity to bring him back into the fold once the smoke had cleared. However, it looks as if that will not be the case.
As for now, Michigan is rolling with Rick Minter, defensive coordinator Jesse Minter’s father, as the interim linebackers coach. Where the Wolverines will go after the Rose Bowl remains a mystery, but below-the-line assistant coach LaTroy Lewis could be a popular choice internally to be elevated to the role once the season has concluded.