Ex-Assistant Says Coach Had 'Complete Control' Over Her

A woman who was an assistant to University of Michigan football coach Sherrone Moore says what began as a consensual relationship turned into something she felt she couldn't escape. In her first interview, Paige Shiver, 32, told ABC News that Moore "had complete control" over her emotions and career during their nearly four-year relationship, which she described as an "open secret" in Michigan's athletic department. Shiver said Moore, 40, portrayed himself as stuck in an unhappy marriage and threatened suicide when she tried to end their relationship. Senior staff members leaned on her to "calm him down," she said, even during games, while her own concerns went unheard.

Shiver no longer works at the university. Moore was fired in December after the school learned of what it called an undisclosed relationship with a direct report. This month, he received 18 months' probation after pleading no contest to charges after prosecutors said he broke into Shiver's apartment and confronted her. Every time she tried to break up with Moore, Shiver said, he'd plead with her not to or threaten suicide. At the time, Shiver said, she loved Moore, per NBC News. "Obviously looking back at things and really reflecting on what happened, what was happening ... it's not love at all," Shiver said.