ANN ARBOR, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – An independent review of the Michigan hockey program under Mel Pearson came back toxic as he was fired on Friday morning. Pearson coached for five years taking Michigan to two Frozen Fours and winning 99 games.

“It has been determined that Mel Pearson will not return as our ice hockey coach,” said Michigan Donald R. Shepherd Director of Athletics Warde Manuel. “This decision has been weighed heavily and for some time. We welcomed an independent third-party review into the climate and culture of our program before furthering our assessment in lockstep with campus leadership.”

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In his five years at Michigan he has been questioned on sexual harassment to his players, his CoVID-19 team regulations, and bullying and harassing players. The 68-page report from WilmerHales details the evidence of what Pearson did that justified not retaining him. His multi-year contract ended two months ago as he was an at-will employee at Michigan.

Warde says, “Today’s announcement reflects the seriousness with what we’ve heard and the values we hold dear at Michigan.”