In case you hadn't heard, Michigan's Rich Rodriguez isn't exactly an honest man. While still employed by West Virginia University he actively participated in a courtship by the University of Michigan (scUM), his alma mater, for the head coach position of their football program. WVU sued Rodriguez for $4M in accordance with his buyout clause and Richie cried wolf. Finally, after months of bickering back and forth between the two sides, it appears that the saga has been resolved.
Not enough time on your hands to read all of the articles? Here's a quick run-down: Rich Rodriguez admitted that he signed a binding contract with a buyout clause worth $4M. ScUM will pay $2.5M and Richie will pay the remaining $1.5M. The university is thrilled with their excellent hire.
Update - Just found this not too complimentary article on Rodriguez from the Detroit Free Press. It's worth a look.
2 comments:
Unlike Brian I tend to think Rich Rod is a very good hire for Michigan. He's changing the culture up there in Ann Arbor, very similar to what 'ol Bo did back in the day according to those who were there. They'll definitely be more fit, he'll run 'em to death. Of course just because he's a good coach doesn't make him less of a d-bag.
In my defense I never (explicitly) said Rich Rod was/is a bad hire for Michigan. He's definitely brought a new attitude into the program which will likely benefit it in the long run. However, everything he's done so far has shown that he is a bit of a douche. Smear campaign? Claiming he owed nothing to WVU despite having signed a binding document stating otherwise? Classless. As such, I'm not sure if his presence will wind up being a good thing or a burden. Only time will tell.
As a related point, it was certainly a good move for his career. He gets to coach for his alma mater, coach against some of the toughest coaches in the game (namely Jim Tressel and Bret Bielema), and he's at an institution with more money disposed to its football program.
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