Comments on: CURIOUS INDEX, 4/18/08

By: scalz1

scalz1 — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 00:20:43 +0000

I do understand how WVU fans can feel jilted. Someone that professes their allegiance to your institution, and then goes to a more(sorry) prestegious football school is a definite burn. But, truthfully, the same way a player declares early, you should be happy your coach is moving on to a decidely better job. As stated in my earlier post, I will support him until allegations are proved, not insinuated.
I find all of it repulsive, from both sides, actually. I will support the program I that follow’s coach until he proves me wrong.
I think your 2 year assesment is off base, though. He’s already pulling good recruits from other states.
We shall see.

By: cm202bc

cm202bc — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 18:59:18 +0000

Scalz, there’s no need to be surprised by our vindictiveness towards RR in this matter.

1. Emails from himself and his agent show him in contact with UM before he choked away our shot at the MNC by losing to Pitt.
2. He began recruiting for UM prior to telling our team he wasn’t their coach anymore.
3. WVU paid him the bonus his contract allocated to him for the Fiesta Bowl he didn’t even coach in, yet he refuses to fulfill his contractually obligated buyout to our AD (which is entirely self sufficient, actually aids the funding of academics at our U, and has no leeway between profit and losses).
4. The racial allegations were released on MLK Jr Day. The blatant PR facet of this move has convinced many of us that it is fabricated (tho for all I know it could be true)
5. Aschebrooke’s afadavit has nothing to do with the buyout fight, and everything to do with salvaging his career from allegations that could end it.

We still hate RR, but a lot of the emotion caused by the way he departed has faded since he failed to recruit Pryor. Pretty much everyone here assumes that without that kid he is looking at 2 years of failure on the field and then he gets fired in humiliating fashion. Far as we are concerned it’s only a matter of time until he gets his professional comeuppance for his unprofessional actions. Our issue with him at this point is entirley related to #3 above. Our AD is entirely self sufficient, not a dime from the U, not a dime from the state (hell, even Marshall’s AD gets money from the state). RR is WV’ian, and he was our coach, he knows exactly how little room we have between financial health and debt that will harm us for years. Now apparently, since RR left there has actually been a rise in donations to the AD, enough that we don’t have to be concerned about the immediate future. But as far as we are concerned his refusal to pay the money he agreed to in his contract is a heartless, soulless, attempt to destroy our program. If Aschebrooke’s afadavit is true, then RR’s statements in it are pretty accurate, we do want to fuck him, because as far as we concerned he tried to do the same to us. I know you are inclined to back your coach, but I hope you can see where we are coming from here.

By: Scalz1

Scalz1 — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 17:05:57 +0000

An investigation of racism of a totally different person, which then got turned on RR.

Basically: “I’m not he racist, HE’S(RR) the racist. Listen to what he said”.

By: paco

paco — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 16:20:27 +0000

Scalz1 –
If I’m not mistaken, didn’t this latest salvo come as a result of an investigation into the alleged racial remark? The Mike Brown camp made the accusation and WVU, rightfully so, investigated it. I know this event must be viewed in the larger context but it doesn’t seem as though this particular piece of the puzzle is a smear by WVU….more like an attempt to ensure the record is straight.

By: Scalz1

Scalz1 — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 16:06:59 +0000

I am a UM fan. And, you’re correct with your timeframe. I am not so much defending RR, but just being amazed at the WFVU fanbase and staff at the depths that they are sinking to. Let the courts decide. I will support RR, not defend him, until he proves me wrong.
As far as the Boren thing goes, he wasn’t the only lineman to quit after spring started. One occurence is just that, an occurence. Two is an aberration, and three is a trend. It doesn’t take too much to see the older, overweight, underachievers were bailing.

By: maskedavenger

maskedavenger — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 16:02:22 +0000

Paco – assuming that it was false, the racial allegation was more than a cheap shot. But from the RR perspective, the “shredding” article, which while not attributed to any particular WVU administrator seems likely to have come from one, was the first salvo. Again, I recognize why WVU fans are upset, if I had a successful coach at UM who was an alum and took another job after almost taking one the year prior, I would be pissed too.

As to the $4,000,000, I didn’t recognize that there were so many people in West Virginia who are Ayn Rand aficionados. Whether absolute liberty of contract should be the law, right now it isn’t. My (entirely unresearched) understanding is that WVU is due whatever damages they can prove arose from the transition, and that there here is a credible argument that figure is less than $4,000,000.

Again, I just want this to go away, and maybe WVU’s lawyers are counting on such sentiment to get a higher settlement if they are patient.

By: paco

paco — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 16:01:22 +0000

Scalz1, I’m not taking sides either way. I’m just enjoying the show. I do find it odd that Michigan fans are so quick to defend every facet of Rod’s side in all this. He’s been in Ann Arbor a grand total of what, 4 months?

By: Scalz1

Scalz1 — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 15:56:57 +0000

Paco –
Boren left after practice started, and he figured out that training is more than the “training table”. Boren and his father both took shots at UM, claiming “erroding family values”, but he still takes a visit to a bastion of wholesomeness: The University of Ohio State.
The WFVU fans,staff,lawyers, won’t shut their traps. Let the court decide it and STFU. UM did not start a smear campaign against Boren like WVU is doing against UM. RR, when asked why he thought Boren left, gave a truthful answer, not 15 replies and accusations.
You correlation does not correlate.

By: paco

paco — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 15:42:24 +0000

Actually, maskedavenger, you just helped to make my point. This “racial” issue was the cheap shot at WVU. I won’t attribute it to Rod or Magee per se, but rather their agent, Brown. My read on it is Brown threw Aschebrooke under the bus to help his clients in the litigation with the intent of bringing him to Michigan after the dust settled. One further thing to remember is that there was no way for Rod and Crew to leave WVU without ruffling feathers due to their flirtation with Alabama the prior year.

By: ryan

ryan — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 15:40:28 +0000

it goes away when dickrod pays the $4 mil. no wvu fan wants anything to do with him, other than the money he owes, as per the agreement he signed. its nothing more than that, and i cant believe that because it is as clear as day that dickrod owes the money that it hasnt just been settled, with or without the help of UM boosters. there’s nothing dickrod has said to believe or not believe – he signed on the dotted line. and say something about renovations: what team is going to renovate the locker room or weight room in the middle of the season? take a trip to morgantown and you’ll see everything he claims wasn’t done is quite on schedule.

By: maskedavenger

maskedavenger — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 15:30:00 +0000

Paco makes a decent point – although he left out an important detail: Boren and his father took a gratuitous shot at UM despite Justin being given an unconditional release (Charlie Weis for example allegedly limited the places to which Chris Vaughn could transfer to while Boren’s release allowed him to go anywhere). Ryan Mallett also bailed, but has not been vilified to Boren’s level perhaps because he largely left without ruffling too many feathers.

By: okiedomer

okiedomer — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 15:20:02 +0000

Saban:I don’t have time for this shit::Rodriguez:That’s fucked up, Rich

By: CincySooner

CincySooner — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 15:11:09 +0000

Lets take a look at the roster of representatives “investigating” the BCS trade monopoly. The result of which will put Congress on record of supporting a playoff.

Lynn Westmoreland – Georgia
Neil Abercrombie – Hawaii
Mike Simpson – Idaho

Nope… no ulterior motive with that bunch of chuckle-heads.

Unless actual laws are being broken, I wish Congress would just butt the fuck out of sports and try to solve some real problems.

By: paco

paco — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 15:08:25 +0000

Isn’t it ironic how the “Michigan faithful” condemn WVU fans for speaking badly about Rodriguez in the wake of his departure? “Let it go, already”, they said. Yet when Justin Boren, whose father also played at Michigan, left for what he felt was a legit reason, those same “Michigan faithful” vilified him and his family. At least he didn’t walk away owing UM $4mil.

By: jakldawg

jakldawg — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:55:52 +0000

I’m picturing Hawkins holed up in his house with the Minor Threat cranked to 11. I imagine being straight-edge in Boulder is like being vegan at an LSU tailgate. Good luck with that.