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You are here: Home / Sports / Stay Classy, Rich Rodriguez

Stay Classy, Rich Rodriguez

by John Cole|  January 15, 20086:56 pm| 50 Comments

This post is in: Sports

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Douchebag:

Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez remains public enemy No. 1 in West Virginia.

If today’s reports from West Virginia newspapers are true, with the first one emerging from the Charleston (W. Va.) Gazette, the hatred is about to reach a new level.

The initial Gazette report, which cited an unnamed source, said that Rodriguez “destroyed all or most of the paperwork filed relating to every player on the Mountaineer roster and virtually all of the activities conducted by the programs over the past seven years.”

Rodriguez and Michigan officials were unavailable for comment this morning.

I hope he goes 0-11 and loses to THE OHIO STATE by 90 points.

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50Comments

  1. 1.

    Bell Curve

    January 15, 2008 at 7:00 pm

    I hope he goes 0-11 and loses to Ohio by 90 points.

    Ohio State. Very important.

    I’m warning you now before you get a lot more Buckeyes yelling at you.

  2. 2.

    4tehlulz

    January 15, 2008 at 7:06 pm

    Classy, though this makes me wonder if he was covering his ass for any potential NCAA investigation:

    Rodriguez, who was hired by Michigan to replace Lloyd Carr on Dec. 17, removed all files pertaining to the players, the Gazette reported, including academic records and community service events, disciplinary results and all of the strength and conditioning data.

    He may actually have done WV a favor if there was dirt in there.

  3. 3.

    John Cole

    January 15, 2008 at 7:09 pm

    Fixed, bell Curve.

  4. 4.

    IanY77

    January 15, 2008 at 7:20 pm

    If it was recruiting stuff, I could understand it, but the strength and training info? That stinks to high heaven. I’ve heard about this on other college football boards, and the speculation is that WVU had one of the best ST programs in the country. I’m sorry John, and I know it’s your team and all, but I can’t help wondering if there was a juicing program on the go. Destroying the ST info makes no sense otherwise (obligatory disclaimer: I know college football is dirty, and I’m sure my team is no less dirty when it comes to recruiting, ST, etc).

    I guess RickRod will be getting sued for that whole 4 mil now.

    Additionally, is there not a crime related to the destruction of those files? I mean, they’re WVU property, not RR’s, right?

  5. 5.

    myiq2xu

    January 15, 2008 at 7:32 pm

    I just hope the Raiders don’t fire Lane Kiffen and hire Rodriguez.

  6. 6.

    Scotty

    January 15, 2008 at 7:42 pm

    I still don’t understand why he didn’t wait until WV’s bowl game was done before leaving town.

  7. 7.

    Scotty

    January 15, 2008 at 7:50 pm

    I just hope the Raiders don’t fire Lane Kiffen and hire Rodriguez.

    I’d probably be hoping for a number of other things if I was a Raiders fan.

  8. 8.

    Dennis - SGMM

    January 15, 2008 at 7:51 pm

    I still don’t understand why he didn’t wait until WV’s bowl game was done before leaving town.

    It may have been the barrels of tar and the sacks of feathers.

  9. 9.

    Bucky

    January 15, 2008 at 7:55 pm

    Go Blue!

  10. 10.

    Napoleon

    January 15, 2008 at 7:59 pm

    What a flaming A-hole. That is about a classless as you can get. And I don’t care if it was just the recruiting stuff. If he put together the material as part of the job he was being paid for then its WV’s.

  11. 11.

    Ryan

    January 15, 2008 at 8:00 pm

    What’s hilarious is that they let him back in the building and no one stopped him from shredding all the files, despite the fact that he was already employed at Michigan.

    This wouldn’t be nearly as much fun if the entire state of West Virginia weren’t full of idiotic inbred hicks. I sort of hope you guys set a couch on fire and accidentally burn down the whole state. Of course, that might damage Michigan’s AAA coaching squad, so maybe the continued alienation of everyone who has a brain is the better strategy. You’re doing a bang-up job so far.

    Go Blue!

  12. 12.

    Robert Johnston

    January 15, 2008 at 8:04 pm

    If this report is true, then why hope for Rodriguez to go 0-11 rather than hope for him to be fired for violating the inevitable good conduct clause in his new contract when prosecutors decide to bring criminal charges? That paperwork almost certainly belonged to the football program, not Rodriguez. Felony destruction of property would not be a stretch if these alleged facts are true, and that could be quite a problem for Rodriguez:

    (b) Any person who unlawfully, willfully and intentionally destroys, injures or defaces the real or personal property of one or more other persons or entities during the same act, series of acts or course of conduct causing a loss in the value of the property in an amount of two thousand five hundred dollars or more, is guilty of the felony offense of destruction of property and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than two thousand five hundred dollars or imprisoned in the state correctional facility for not less than one year nor more than ten years, or in the discretion of the court, confined in the county or regional jail not more than one year, or both fined and imprisoned.

    West Virginia Statutes §61-3-30

  13. 13.

    FS

    January 15, 2008 at 8:20 pm

    Even if he did all this, Michigan still needs to beat Ohio State or else the terrorists will have won.

  14. 14.

    Jay

    January 15, 2008 at 8:24 pm

    When did the Bush administration take over WVU?!?!?

    Document shredding, handing out unearned MBA’s for politicos. “Heck of a job, Breschie!”

    What the hell is wrong with that place!!!

  15. 15.

    Sojourner

    January 15, 2008 at 8:29 pm

    Even if he did all this, Michigan still needs to beat Ohio State or else the terrorists will have won.

    Excuse me??? We Buckeyes are salt of the earth, having produced such upstanding citizens as John Boehner and Ken Blackwell… . Uh, we have the Best Damn Band in the Land. So there!

  16. 16.

    LiberalTarian

    January 15, 2008 at 8:50 pm

    OT:

    myiq2xu got a shout out in the C&L comments today for the Goldberg Principle. They were trying to trace the origin of “doughy pantload.” Did Billmon at WhiskeyBar or somebody at the Poor Man coin that nickname? Of course, everybody knows that blogtopia is a skippy creation.

  17. 17.

    Mike

    January 15, 2008 at 9:02 pm

    John, is that big-time donor buddy of Rodriguez’s still making threats against WVU to try to prevent them from suing the douchebag for breach of contract?

  18. 18.

    Darkness

    January 15, 2008 at 9:36 pm

    Damn, so many fun shows to watch and so little popcorn. Oh please, keep ranting, it fuels me through the late afternoon.

    If the allegations are true, I second/third/forth the others that he was hiding something the school would want hid too. But I have to wonder, what the heck are the files doing on paper? And if they weren’t on paper what records-retention policy would let one person, who isn’t even an employee, destroy the originals and remote site backups? It all smells just too fishy. I hope Carr stays on as AD and kicks Rickie’s arse if he tries any doping shit at Michigan.

  19. 19.

    dick weathers

    January 15, 2008 at 9:44 pm

    Come listen to a story bout a man named Rod
    Mountaineer coach that thought that he was God
    Forgot his roots and became a Wolverine
    Up and left his home cuz all he sees is green
    Michigan that is
    Big 10
    Big deal
    Well the next thing you know, up north they think he’s great
    Then he turned around and lost to Appy State
    Lost the next four & then to OSU
    So they ran him outa town, with the kids and Rita too
    The wife that is
    Big hair
    Fake boobs
    So the moral of the story is that greed has a cost
    If you don’t hold the rope then your hopes and dreams are
    These Mountaineer players will yet make his-tor-eeee
    But you won’t be around to enjoy the mem-or-eee
    National Champs that is
    Number 1
    2008
    Don’t come crawlin back now. ya hear?

  20. 20.

    John Cole

    January 15, 2008 at 9:59 pm

    myiq2xu got a shout out in the C&L comments today for the Goldberg Principle. They were trying to trace the origin of “doughy pantload.” Did Billmon at WhiskeyBar or somebody at the Poor Man coin that nickname? Of course, everybody knows that blogtopia is a skippy creation.

    Norbizness coined it in 2004, which is like forever ago in the blogosphere.

  21. 21.

    norbizness

    January 15, 2008 at 10:21 pm

    And yet I still can’t get Jeff “Unfrozen Caveman Columnist” Jacoby to stick! So long dennal plan!

  22. 22.

    John Cole

    January 15, 2008 at 10:24 pm

    I think I should get points for remembering that.

  23. 23.

    PaulW

    January 15, 2008 at 10:40 pm

    I’m rooting for Ohio State now. And Penn State. And even Notre Dame, ohgodno, and anybody else who’ll be playing UMich next season.

    They drove out a classy coach and replaced him with Nixon/Bush. Three guesses how that program is going to wind up.

    And I seriously think the destruction of files and records is a violation of law, somewhere. I’m willing to wager a booster or concerned citizen (from Marshall) is going to call for an investigation that could well get Mr. Cut-and-Run some serious headaches.

  24. 24.

    norbizness

    January 15, 2008 at 10:42 pm

    Holy Christ, I only bring it up enough so that people should stage some sort of involuntary commitment. Plus, you can’t buy shit with points in West Virginia; turnips are still the main form of legal tender.

  25. 25.

    SpotWeld

    January 15, 2008 at 10:56 pm

    Hi.. UofM alum here.
    Never been a huge fan of football, but I just got to say: If the University of Michigan athletic dept has any dignity they’ll toss this guy now. (There must be some clause in his contract about reprehensible behavior, right?)

  26. 26.

    mazzy

    January 15, 2008 at 11:23 pm

    Wow. You are taking the word of an “unnamed source” at a university hellbent on embarrassing a former coach so they can wrest a $4 million buyout from him and continue looking like a martyr in this entire thing. You believe that the WVU athletic department was stupid enough to let Rod in the office and spend what must have been hours shredding documents and NO ONE stopped him or said ANYTHING. And to strain credulity even more, none of these records are on the computer? What, is it 1979? Or did Rod hack into the computer and erase them too?

    Either Rod is an evil genius or WVU is the dumbest school ever. Or else this is just propaganda from a school determined to smear this guy. I don’t buy any of it, none of it makes sense.

  27. 27.

    mazzy

    January 15, 2008 at 11:37 pm

    And talk about “staying classy,” I see no mention of the multiple death threats against Rod and his family. WVU fans vandalizing his old house, calling the Mich athletic department, and harrassing his relatives–is that classy?

  28. 28.

    Tom in Texas

    January 16, 2008 at 12:00 am

    Uh, we have the Best Damn Band in the Land. So there!

    Maybe so, but your cheerleaders need to practice their O-H-I-O chant for another season or two.

  29. 29.

    John Cole

    January 16, 2008 at 12:05 am

    And talk about “staying classy,” I see no mention of the multiple death threats against Rod and his family. WVU fans vandalizing his old house, calling the Mich athletic department, and harrassing his relatives—is that classy?

    You got names, I will call em assholes. Otherwise, take it as a given I am against death threats by unnamed individuals. For the record, all of what you are alleging is news to me.

    Douchebag.

  30. 30.

    mazzy

    January 16, 2008 at 12:07 am

    Didn’t take long for this story to fall apart. From the updated Detroit Free Press article:

    But Rodriguez’s agent, Mike Brown, told the Free Press that his client did not take any “individual player files” and could not be the sole holder of sensitive information

    “He may have received copies,” Brown said. “But I would sure hope the originals of those are in West Virginia’s compliance office. If they do not have that information, they have serious institutional control issues.”

    Brown also took issue with the Gazette’s accretion that because files were missing from the weight room office, no records existed from the strength and conditioning program run by Mike Barwis. The Gazette reported the files “even included pictures of the players at different points in their careers.”

    “Every time Mike Barwis did any evaluation sessions, all of the assistant coaches got a copy of the report,” Brown said. “So Bill Stewart and the other remaining coaches should have copies.”

    Seems like a concerted effort to smear Rod. They must really want that $4 million.

  31. 31.

    mazzy

    January 16, 2008 at 12:25 am

    John, Here’s a link to the threats and harrassment

  32. 32.

    LiberalTarian

    January 16, 2008 at 12:35 am

    John Cole Says:

    I think I should get points for remembering that.

    Yeah, no power in the ‘verse can stop you. :D

  33. 33.

    mazzy

    January 16, 2008 at 12:37 am

    Here’s another article you might find interesting

  34. 34.

    Darkness

    January 16, 2008 at 1:29 am

    USA Today link needs fixing:

    Rich Rodriguez’s mother says family suffering threats, insults

    Par for the course.

  35. 35.

    Shalimar

    January 16, 2008 at 1:36 am

    That sounds like the kind of political unsubstantiated rumors that later turn out to have been lies spread to smear someone. If true, then destroying the property of a public university (which by extension would fall under state government laws regarding public information) sounds like many, many felonies.

  36. 36.

    Ryan

    January 16, 2008 at 7:13 am

    So WVU has “serious institutional control issues”? Not even slightly surprising, given the way they’re hemorrhaging coaches to Michigan. What a bunch of buffoons. John, how you can call anyone who chooses to flee the backwater hellhole that is West Virginia a “douchebag” is beyond me. Too bad we don’t need a rifle coach, as that seems to be the only varsity sport they have left that we haven’t promoted somebody out of.

  37. 37.

    Cassidy

    January 16, 2008 at 8:45 am

    Three guesses how that program is going to wind up.

    Considering that WVU went from a nobody to a title contender, there is only one guess.

  38. 38.

    4tehlulz

    January 16, 2008 at 8:58 am

    Considering that WVU went from a nobody to a title contender, there is only one guess.

    The SEC?

  39. 39.

    Cassidy

    January 16, 2008 at 9:12 am

    The SEC?

    WVU should at least go to the ACC and get out of the fluffy Big East. Was talking about this with a buddy yesterday. Clemson should leave the ACC and join the SEC. WVU should go to the ACC and hang out with all their Virginia buddies. Big 10 should be forced to have a Conference Championship. Pac-10 should be dissolved as it’s a candyass conference anyway.

    I was saying that Rod will put Michigan back into national contention. He made a nobody WVU into a top 10 team.

  40. 40.

    Doug H.

    January 16, 2008 at 9:20 am

    You stay classy, scUM and Dick Rod.

  41. 41.

    Punchy

    January 16, 2008 at 9:24 am

    2 comments–

    1) You had to know something was up when WVU sued his ass almost immediately after he left. The bad blood was apparent. How they let him back into the building, and into his old office after such acrimony is amazing.

    2) About the death threats–I’ve said this before (John, earmuffs!), but WVU fans are widely known for being some of the worst in the nation. Rude, obnoxious, and in your face in victory, and trashing whole stadium sections in losses. These death threats dont surprise me one bit.

  42. 42.

    mazzy

    January 16, 2008 at 9:35 am

    This reminds me of the charges that Clinton’s staff trashed the White House on the way out in 2001. Remember how truthful those allegations proved to be? Next you’ll be telling me that Rod stole all the Ws, Vs, and Us off the computer keyboards.

  43. 43.

    ww

    January 16, 2008 at 9:36 am

    You actually believe that about Rich Rodriguez?

    Wow.

  44. 44.

    J sub D

    January 16, 2008 at 10:00 am

    University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. US News and World Ranking #25 (between USC and UCLA).

    West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia US News and World Report Ranking, Not listed (124 were).

    For an ambitious person, what would be the more prestigios institution to be associated with?
    WVU alumni, you only get one guess.

  45. 45.

    les

    January 16, 2008 at 10:11 am

    Gee, when WVU stole Huggy Bear he at least didn’t trash the offices, that I know of. So did RR lose his class at WV, or was he classless when hired?

  46. 46.

    IanY77

    January 16, 2008 at 10:17 am

    Tom in Texas:

    The first O just wanted to showcase it’s SEC caliber speed.

  47. 47.

    John Cole

    January 16, 2008 at 10:26 am

    You actually believe that about Rich Rodriguez?

    Yes, I do.

    You are talking about a man who bullied the administration into giving him tons more money and resources, got what he wanted (which is a shitton more money than your average West Virginian makes), got up, praised West Virginia, said he would be here forever, then a year into an almost decade long contract broke the contract, left the school essentially in the middle of the night BEFORE even completing the current Bowl game, took his entire staff with him, and on top of it all, won’t honor the buyout clause in his contract and is instead trying to smear the institution.

    He broke his contract. Pay the money back.

  48. 48.

    ww

    January 16, 2008 at 9:49 pm

    well, ok, I see your point but, recent allegations center on pure vindictiveness, not financial crassness. Anyway, it could certainly be true, I dunno. What could possibly be his motivation? Is he a Neocon or something? Did he waterboard his players?

  49. 49.

    Darkness

    January 17, 2008 at 4:19 am

    So, after reading a bit about the contract dispute between RR and WV I think I’ve figured it out. So, this buyout is a measly 4 mil, which is pocket change to a school like Michigan where the tickets cost 55$ and the stadium seats 110k. (well, cut that in half because the take gets split with the visiting team) I was still mystified until I read how bad RR is at losing. Most people hate to lose; this guy has it at a pathological level. So, I think this contract thing has turned into a game he just can’t stand to lose (i.e., pay up the buyout). As well, this seems to be his first chance to have his say about how few of the agreements (he claims) the school managed to meet after he forced them to cough up some support during the last negotiations. Yeah, WV had to pay him more, but honestly the negotiations were about general resources too. Speaking out earlier would have been unWVpatriotic and biting the hand and divisive of something that clearly provides identity to most of the state. But anyway, just my 2¢

  50. 50.

    mazzy

    January 17, 2008 at 10:11 am

    I know that no one is paying attention to this particular thread anymore, but I thought that I’d point out the story has completely fallen apart. WVU has located the missing academic and financial files, and the training files are on computer, which can be located. It was ludicrous to think that a major university wouldn’t have several copies of these files. So as I predicted, this was just WVU trying to smear an ex-coach. Will John acknowledge as much?

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