Coach Rod continues to play the blame game

In the never ending dispute over his leaving WVU, Coach Rod continues to attempt to cast himself in the role of "victim". In his response filed in Federal Court yesterday, Rodriguez said it was the actions of the WVU administration- not a better job offer- that forced him to resign in December, 2007, and take the coaching job at Michigan. It is evident that Coach Rod continues to refuse to acknowledge his role in this entire dispute with his former employer. There is something about "It takes two to tango." Coach Rod, however, prefers to view the dispute from the perspective of a "victim" who has no personal responsibility for the events that have transpired. The e-mails released by Coach Rod's agent, Mike Brown, to support Rodriguez's contentions actually serve to reveal the true character (or lack thereof) of Coach Rod. A review of the e-mails show that Rodriguez's relationship with the school was on a downhill slide months before he resigned, in part because of his failed attempts to gain total control over the football program. Because of this ongoing dispute, Coach Rod was "available" when Michigan came calling. Unfortunately for Michigan, the school is now saddled with all the drama that Coach Rod brought with him from West Virginia. Worse, Coach Rod's behavior at WVU bespeaks of his character. If he was willing to turn on his alma mater he will certainly not demonstrate any more committment and/or loyalty to Michigan in the future than he showed WVU. If he doesn't get his way at Michigan, Coach Rod may be looking for the next big opportunity. I hope A.D. Bill Martin knew what he was doing when he brought this guy in. I think Martin is going to get more than he bargained for and not in a good way. Go Blue!

UPDATE on 2/8/08: Students at West Virginia University Law School have created a blog dedicated to the lawsuit between West Virginia University and Rich Rodriguez. The blog has links to all the actual court documents including Coach Rodriguez's contract. Check it out. It is very interesting.

*Note: Photo of Coach Rodriguez from MGoBlue.com