According to an AP article in today’s Washington Post, former West Virginia coach and current Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez has reached a settlement in a messy lawsuit the university filed against its former coach in December.
According to the article, Rodriguez has agreed to pay $4 million back to the university, a deal that will be approved by WVU Board of Governors later today. The coach had been critical of the sum of money he was asked to pay, quoting the article:
Rodriguez also testified that while he considered the amount “excessive” and “unfair,” he acquiesced when he was told a major WVU donor had insisted on it.
I applaud West Virginia for going after Rodriguez for breaking a contract extension that he’d signed just a year before bouncing for Ann Arbor. More universities need to follow West Virginia’s lead. I’ve long found it grossly unfair that players are held to their commitments and lose a year of eligibility for transferring schools, while coaches are basically mercenaries and are free to take any job they chose, regardless of contracts they’ve signed. West Virginia took this as a personal affront and they decided to go after their money and I don’t blame them.
As for Rodriguez, I think this is another credibility hit for him and for Michigan.
I’ve not been a tremendous fan of his since he appeared on the sidelines at the Capital One bowl during Lloyd Carr’s last game and allowed himself to be interview by a sideline reporter. I thought his efforts to interject himself into that story and into that program during a game that should have been about Lloyd Carr was classless. Additionally, I think running off Ryan Mallett is going to be something Michigan is going to regret. The kid could end up being a special talent, given his size and arm strength. Landing Mallet in the first place was a major coup for Michigan, which Rodriguez callously pissed away.
Also, I’m not convinced that Rodriguez’s spread offense will work in the Big Ten, particularly given that he doesn’t have the personnel in place to execute the offense and you can’t underestimate the hit Rodriguez’s chances of a quick turnaround took when Terrelle Pryor shunned the Wolverines for blood rival Ohio State. Michigan fans are in for a long haul with a coach that appears to have integrity issues that Wolverine fans never had to deal with during Lloyd Carr’s tenure.
Michigan fans can bet on at least three more blowout losses to the Buckeyes.
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