More on WVU and Rodriguez - he and his agent

[Brad]

Power Was Issue At WVU

In the months before his departure for Michigan, former West Virginia football coach Rich Rodriguez and his agent were pursuing changes that would have given Rodriguez more control over the program, e-mails obtained by The Associated Press show.

By mid-November, Rodriguez's agent, Mike Brown, unhappy changes weren't happening fast enough, was threatening to take his client elsewhere, alluding to potential openings at Texas A&M and Florida State.

Rodriguez resigned Dec. 18 to coach Michigan, touching off a bitter and ongoing public dispute that has included a $4 million lawsuit over his buyout clause and allegations of broken promises and missing files from his office.

The disintegration of the relationship is documented in e-mails written over a five-month period and released under the West Virginia Freedom of Information Act. They show Brown fighting for more control over the program for Rodriguez and over money the coach helped raise through a booster organization he founded.

In e-mails to WVU president Mike Garrison, Brown also complains of Gov. Joe Manchin interfering with the program. Brown did not send copies of the e-mails to athletic director Ed Pastilong, who said he did not have problems with Rodriguez.

"Rich and I got along very good. I was largely responsible for hiring him, and we had an open communication," he said. "This is the first I've heard of it." Pastilong, who is friends with the governor, denies Manchin interfered, as did a Manchin spokesperson.

Brown had been pressing WVU to act on moneymaking ventures such as advertising on walls at Mountaineer Field and letting Rodriguez have his own paid-subscription website.

After rejecting a six-year, $12 million offer from Alabama in December 2006, Rodriguez signed a new contract with WVU Aug. 24. It included a pay raise from $1.05 million to $1.78 million, and a one-time increase of $100,000 to assistant coaches' salaries.

Rodriguez had other demands, including free passes for high school coaches, control of the sidelines, an all-access pass for wife Rita and seats at WVU basketball games for recruits.

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[SoFlaEer]

this basically supports what i have said all along about the situation.  RRod basically wanted all the power, and wanted to be AD and head FB coach.

[flsportsfan83]

they should have given it to him

[SoFlaEer]

they should have given it to him

and you base this on what?

[flsportsfan83]

they should have given it to him

and you base this on what?

WVU was nothing special before Rod, now he is gone and it is possible if not likely you sink back to the 8-4 yearly team you were just a few years ago.

[SoFlaEer]

they should have given it to him

and you base this on what?

WVU was nothing special before Rod, now he is gone and it is possible if not likely you sink back to the 8-4 yearly team you were just a few years ago.

Well we'll just have to disagree on whether WVU was anything special or not before RRod.  He raised the level, yes.  But the program had success in the past before him and will again without him.

because he can coach, he should have control over the entire athletic dept?  that doesnt make sense.  one does not equate to the other.  just because someone plays football does not mean they would be a good coach, just as someone being a good coach does not mean they would be or know the first thing about being an administrator. 

and it appears to all be boiling down to RRod was simply an egotistical money grubbing a-hole who listened too much to his greedy agent.  the demands would not have stopped.  they wanted the school to prostitute itself out and make the stadium a billboard so that they xould "remain competitive" for RRods salary.  he bluffed, they called his bluff.  while he was there and appeared committed to the program, i woulda thought we would want to hold on to him at all costs, but i think we all got a little blinded by the shiny BCS trophy. i am glad he is gone.  i thought her was an a-hole, but he was "our" a-hole, so i and i think a lot of others were willing to overlook his personality flaws.  but that all changed the second i heard he was "alabama-ing" us again.