Blacksoxscandal

Fri, Sep 4, 2009 : 10:04 a.m.

It's abundantly clear that RR can't manage himself and continually plays the victim card. Whatever happened to accountibility? Im sure he preaches it. Is it me or does it seem that whenever RR is backed into a corner he comes out crying. Didnt he cry in his presser when he lost PITT, while he was at WV, that would have vaulted his team in a BCS championship game? This act is getting old. U of M fans do not need the constant drama. Can't wait to hear the presser if he happens to lose to Western. It will be one for the ages.

tlb1201

Thu, Sep 3, 2009 : 8:55 a.m.

"They typically rely on the value of the mortgage interest on real estate to secure a real estate development loan, not personal guaranties of investors." That statement is untrue. The first rule of lending is "Get the principal back." That's why you take collateral and get personal guarantees from individuals who can pay if everything else goes wrong. Which would you rather have, 8% per year of what you loaned for a couple of years, or 100% of the principal returned? It's a no brainer if you want to stay in business and keep your job. I'm sure the lender was counting on the real estate deal to make the payments with RR and the others being the secondary means of payment. You may be right that the lender relied on RR's name and public image more than they did his balance sheet and the viability of the real estate deal. If they did, shame on them. But then, RR's name and reputation are another form of collateral. Collateral is something of value which you don't want to lose that you pledge to secure the debt. If the consequences are too great, then you pass the deal. I would say a high profile coaching reputation and $3 million-plus is nothing is a pretty big thing to risk if you go into business with someone whose ethics may be a little shakey. Looks like maybe bad decisions were made on both sides, but we weren't there to witness how it got to this point.

Rasmus

Thu, Sep 3, 2009 : 6:59 a.m.

Why am I quite certain that, were this story about the coaaches at MSU, OSU, or ND, the same people on this page who are defending RichRod would be santimonious in their sense of superiority over those schools?... First, it wouldn't be on "Ann Arbor" dot com if it were about those coaches. Second, you are displaying just such a sanctimonious sense of superiority when you come to a site that focuses on the University of Michigan and make a comment like that. Hypocrite!

halflight

Wed, Sep 2, 2009 : 11:58 p.m.

So while one can question his judgment for going into business with someone who had ever been banned for "minor" violations, Greene was not banned by Clemson when Rich went into business with him.... The issue is that RR associated with a booster that he knew bent the rules. That's poison, just like associating with gamblers. The fact that the booster's punishment was complete before RR got financially involved with him isn't particularly relevant. How 'bout, "Hey, Mr. Greene, your investment opportunity sounds good, but I can't personally associate with people who violate NCAA rules."... The bank never disbursed most of the loan -- only the money to buy the land for the project. That's what they're suing Rodriguez for. They do own the property, so it's not like he has to come up with all of the money out of pocket -- they could sell, but surely for quite a bit less than what they paid for it in 2007, at the height of the boom.... Actually, banks usually take the hit on deals like this. They typically rely on the value of the mortgage interest on real estate to secure a real estate development loan, not personal guaranties of investors. This sounds like a shakedown of a public figure: RR is easy to embarrass--he'll pay us a quick settlement just to make the story go away. Never mind that the bank has done little or nothing to collect on the mortgage or from the other guarantors.... Basically, I'm sure Rich and the others will be happy to pay the bank one way or another once the problems with Greene are resolved.... Only if he's listening to P.R. people rather than his lawyers. RR shouldn't take the full financial hit. That'd be like caving in to blackmail. Instead, he should make sure all of the other investors who signed personal guarantees are joined to the suit as defendants, so the judgment is against all of them, not just the high profile one. I don't buy for a minute that the bank granted this loan based upon RR's balance sheet and real estate development experience. Either the bank's lawyer is blowing smoke, or the bank's loan officer didn't do his/her job.

The Grinch

Wed, Sep 2, 2009 : 10:09 p.m.

Why am I quite certain that, were this story about the coaaches at MSU, OSU, or ND, the same people on this page who are defending RichRod would be santimonious in their sense of superiority over those schools?

Jon Saalberg

Wed, Sep 2, 2009 : 9:25 p.m.

Now, suppose RR leads UM to, say, a 9-3 season. Anyone going to remember this story in November?

Bob Martel

Wed, Sep 2, 2009 : 7:13 p.m.

The guy (RR) is robbed and this article makes him look like a perp??? Puleezz....

buckeyehater1976

Wed, Sep 2, 2009 : 7:04 p.m.

who cares. it's all about saturday afternoon. GO BLUE. GO RR.

Rasmus

Wed, Sep 2, 2009 : 6:47 p.m.

The AP has a story on this that explains things much more clearly that the hack job that Dave et al. have done here. I'd suggest anyone interested go find it -- ESPN has it up, no doubt many others. [1.] The AP story is not perfectly clear on this point, but it appears that Greene had been reinstated into Clemson's good graces when Rich went into business with him in 2004, and the story does make it clear that Clemson did not ban him again until last year, after the 2007 loan that is the focus of the lawsuit. So while one can question his judgment for going into business with someone who had ever been banned for "minor" violations, Greene was not banned by Clemson when Rich went into business with him. [2.] The lawsuit, clearly, is just another bit of fallout from the financial meltdown. The bank never disbursed most of the loan -- only the money to buy the land for the project. That's what they're suing Rodriguez for. They do own the property, so it's not like he has to come up with all of the money out of pocket -- they could sell, but surely for quite a bit less than what they paid for it in 2007, at the height of the boom. Dave's story makes none of this clear. It don't know if it's because he's a sports reporter trying to write about money matters, but I'll extend him the benefit of that doubt. [3.] It's also clear that Rich is a plaintiff in the lawsuit against Greene and a victim in the felony counts, all stemming from the two earlier investments led by Greene in South Carolina and Alabama. That's where the "Ponzi scheme" statement comes from. It sounds like Greene kept the scam going from 2004 pretty much right up to 2007. But when the real estate market started falling apart the Virginia deal started having problems and the scheme was exposed as a result. Basically, I'm sure Rich and the others will be happy to pay the bank one way or another once the problems with Greene are resolved. The bank is just getting in line now.

kcbigdaddy

Wed, Sep 2, 2009 : 6:34 p.m.

It is troubling that UM faithful continue to blame the messenger for the clear faults of Rodriquez. Why continue to associate with a banned booster especially in an investment deal? It speaks directly to his charachter. WVU sued him and won. Yes I say won or UM would not have stepped up to pay his legal bills, we all understand the UM reputation thing. The man destroyed numerous files before leaving WVU that were considered confidential player files, why? He gave his resignation to an intern to hand off to the administration. After turning down the HC position at Alabama he stated publicly that he would be at WVU as long as they would have him. He left the following season for UM after signing a 7 year deal and then tried to fight it. He wanted football players at WVU to be able to sell their books and keep the money. A NCAA violation which WVU officials would not let happen. Now, allegations of practice times, and number of hours a student athlete can be on campus in organized activities. A coach pushing his players or a coach thinking he won't get caught? UM you got yourself a real winner in RichRod. Best of Luck. Oh yeah by the way, PacMan and Chris Henry are the gambles Rod is willing to take, so sooner or later UM will have its own PacMan to deal with.

tlb1201

Wed, Sep 2, 2009 : 5:47 p.m.

"I think the biggest criminals are the banks. You think they would really look at who applied for the loan and make a good judgement call from there." Huh?! The BANK was dishonest?! It did what banks are supposed to do, provide a loan to a supposedly creditworthy and upstanding individual who could and would repay the debt if the supposedly viable business venture could not. (ie: Mr. Big-Time Overpaid Football Coach.) It is up to the person(s) looking to reap the profit to accept the loss and honorably cover the debt. Not the bank. Not the taxpayers. Thats OUR money folks! I don't care what kind of football gets played if I have to pay one more deadbeat's bad debt and endure one scandal after another, petty or otherwise. Rodriguez made a bad choice by going into business with Greene, who he should have known was a bad apple from his stint at Clemson, if not from when all of the recruiting shenanigans came to light. He is paid to judge the character of the people he brings into the football program. Same with business dealings. A good decision-maker just does not go into a multi-million dollar business deal without knowing his business partners and without adequately analyzing the business proposal. Losing your shirt is all part of the risk you take when you enter the risky business of real estate development to try to make a killing. If you roll the dice and lose, you honorably pay up! What's that old saying, "When you go to bed with dogs, you get up with fleas"? Rodriquez is feeling the burning. He's starting to itch and scratch. Now he's crying and whimpering. All of the denial and blind loyalty in the world isn't going to help the situation. This is just one more sign that the fleas are there and persistently starting to bite. Unfortunately, the Big House is going to look pretty darn silly when they have to put that great big tent over it to fumigate it. Bill Martin and the athletic office had better invest in some Frontline. Those little buggers get everywhere.

Rasmus

Wed, Sep 2, 2009 : 5:14 p.m.

What a crock. There is not a single comment here by anyone who knows anything other than what's in this story. The only person willing to speak to the reporter was the lawyer for the bank that is suing Rich. Have you ever been involved in a lawsuit? Lawyers say all kinds of dubious things when money is involved. Dwight (a commenter above), for example, doesn't actually know anything about the particulars of the case, but he's absolutely sure that Rich is in the wrong because he didn't pull out of a multi-million dollar investment the minute he learned Greene was involved. Dwight doesn't actually know if that was even an option, but he's willing to condemn Rodriguez without that knowledge.

stan

Wed, Sep 2, 2009 : 4:51 p.m.

Can you guys please stop bumping this posting or at least update the title so as not to implicate Rich in the alleged wrongdoing? It seems pretty clear that he was a victim.

TheInfamousOne

Wed, Sep 2, 2009 : 3:11 p.m.

I think the biggest criminals are the banks. You think they would really look at who applied for the loan and make a good judgement call from there. Banks do not produce goods and services, they only produce debt. Does this story put Rich Rod in a different light from my perspective? No. If anything, I feel bad for him that he is going through this. I'd like to know why the bank waited so long to file a suite against RichRod since it's been quite a while? Is it because they think he's good for the money now that he has a job at Michigan? I think there is some bailout money the bank can still try to get approved for if they hurry. Sounds like a job for Bernanke!

BORULES

Wed, Sep 2, 2009 : 12:39 p.m.

Just gets worse. We miss you Bo. For those of you who want to blame the Freep just remember Kwami would still be running Detroit too if nobody did some investigating.

A2Living

Wed, Sep 2, 2009 : 12:33 p.m.

Lee, Michael and Jeff: There is a key piece missing in this story regarding the timeline. Rodriguez was as Clemson 1999-2000. Greene was involved in the minor infractions in 2000. What year did Rodriguez enter into the Limited Liability Companies? If it was during his time at Clemson (1999-2000), it is much more concerning. If it is after his time at Clemson, I think that Greene's history at Clemson becomes irrelevant.

javajolt1

Wed, Sep 2, 2009 : 11:58 a.m.

You know, being 100% rah-rah and in complete denial is every bit as ingorant as indicting an innocent person. The rah-rah's only change their tune when the wins/losses look bad. Values and integrity don't matter so long as the team wins!

MichMich

Wed, Sep 2, 2009 : 11:53 a.m.

I can't WAIT for the season to start! This Saturday, Let's Go Blue and Let's Go RichRod! A GREAT tradition for well over 100 years!

javajolt1

Wed, Sep 2, 2009 : 11:13 a.m.

At what point will all the RR boosters wake up and smell the coffee? If you look at the preponderance of the evidence and not JUST this business deal, or the fact they he ALSO cried when he signed his contract extension at WVA, or the buy out, or the fact that there something a little sleazy in the way the things have been played out since he arrived (something we haven't really seen here in 40+ years)....and start adding all of this up, then stand back at look at what we have, and it's not pretty. Bill Martin and Mary Sue Coleman didn't do much due diligence when they went looking for a coach. And this is the Crown Jewel of their University for crying out loud. It transcends JUST football! For all of you boosters who are eager to forgive everything with the promise of a new season upon us, ask yourself this question: at what point will you agree all of this is starting to smell bad? Would a 10-0 season make it all go away? This is for certain: He goes 3-9 or not much better and all of you will be pointing to these things as the reason RR isn't "right" for Michigan. Stop be hypocritical and why not stand up for integrity NOW? Where is Bill Martin in all of this? Outside investigator?? C'mon, show you have the guts to deal with these things yourself!

Yogi

Wed, Sep 2, 2009 : 10:38 a.m.

Get off this man's back... This is a non story. So is the story about the supposed NCAA violations which even Ohio State backs him on. Sparty on, One good year doesn't make MSU a dynasty and I'm glad your team finally got a good head coach. MSU is probably a good stepping stone to a big time program for him.

DagnyJ

Wed, Sep 2, 2009 : 10:13 a.m.

AA.com put the local newspaper out of business, and so far has put a ton of resources into UM football. Like, hey, how about you cover ANN ARBOR? Which means local government, schools, and HS sports? How about finishing up the HS sports preview? How about looking at city spending? Your obsession with RR is pathetic and does all of us in the city a disservice. Another month of this and I will give up on AA.com.

Freemind42

Wed, Sep 2, 2009 : 9:51 a.m.

What a waste of time. This story is yet another distraction. How about our news sources try to kepe politicians as accountable as they do football coaches.

Silly Sally

Wed, Sep 2, 2009 : 9 a.m.

"Someone that hasn't put a dime of his own money into something doesn't fit into the victim status. So True. He never used his own money, but signed a promissory note to pay if there were a default. Now, just as with his W.V. football contract, he is trying to escape it. Is he illiterate, or dishonest? Rich Rodriguiz is a sleaze. Getting involved in "investments" with banned booster's money. How unethical! What was the relationship prior to the booster being banned? It must have been close, else why the later financial deal? Its such a shame that Lloyd Carr retired. Now UM football has gone from respectable to sleaze. And they're losing games, too. Martin sure got what he wanted, someone who would ditch his team just prior to a bowl game is someone who will do the things that RR has allegedly done. Players in jail? What else is next? Bring back Lloyd!

Sparty On!

Wed, Sep 2, 2009 : 8:48 a.m.

Spartans do avoid the Buckeye's this year...lucky us. So we pretty much have an easy streak to compete for the Big Ten Championship with Penn State and Ohio State at the end of the season. And please explain how RR will get the wolverines 10 wins? You will lose to ND, MSU, OSU, PSU, Wisconsin, and probably Illinois and Purdue? RR and his 3-quarterback system...hahaah, that's a joke. It means he has no one for quarterback? Get ready for another 3-9 season. Dantonio is a class act...sure some of his players went to jail. That's how Spartans roll, we are notorious for it. UofM has always thought they were above that...arrogance. Welcome to the Big Ten RR, good luck making it through the year.

wheekb

Wed, Sep 2, 2009 : 8:37 a.m.

I hope that RR understands that this Michigan program needs to be run and coached with the utmost integrity. He and his coaches need to conduct themselves accordingly and they should choose players that can win games and represent UofM with the utmost integrity. If he can't he needs to leave the program on his own accord and apologize to the University for wasting their time

Txmaizenblue

Wed, Sep 2, 2009 : 8:19 a.m.

ZZZzzzzzzzzzz....wake me up at kickoff

bigblue

Wed, Sep 2, 2009 : 8:17 a.m.

sparty trying to critcize MICHIGAN!....LOL.. how many of your starters were trustees's in the ingham county jail this year. sparty goes 9-4 and now you're some kind of powerhouse....LOL. i think sparty avoids the buckeyes this year..LOL.. you guys are still a 5-3 team in the BIG 10. a 10 win season and this all goes away.

aajeff

Wed, Sep 2, 2009 : 8:05 a.m.

Tony Dearing and Ann Arbor.com ought to be ashamed to post a headline such as this. It couldn't be more misleading and the copy indicates a clear misunderstanding of how "news" should be reported. This enterprise has a long way to go before I will read it more than once or twice a week.

birch creek john

Wed, Sep 2, 2009 : 7:47 a.m.

One cannot help but wonder whether if Coach Rodriquez had gone 10-2 last year, or even 8-4, whether any of this would matter at all. A lot of these comments sound like they're written by little boys with long legs. Come on, guys, it's only football. What should really concern us is the big business called college football. Coach Rodriguez is only filling a necessary role in that enterprise.

Jimaize

Wed, Sep 2, 2009 : 7:35 a.m.

Nice...three days before the FB season starts, and this is what you have to offer. Not saying it isn't news, but the lack of any in-depth actual FOOTBALL material here is hard to fathom... GO BLUE!!

NoBowl4Blue

Wed, Sep 2, 2009 : 7:23 a.m.

Birds of a feather flock together. BEWARE it will most likely get worse.

Sparty On!

Wed, Sep 2, 2009 : 6:21 a.m.

This a such a bummer for RR. First the botched real estate lawsuit, and now his friends are known fellons. His team had an extremely tough time against Toledo next year, so I imagine he would want keep his mind focused on WMU. It's going to be hard though, I feel for the guy. Starting the season 0-1 will be tough to sell to the Boosters. Maybe RR will get lucky though and scrape out a win...he will need to have it all against ND and MSU, but if this keeps up 0-3?

jeremy

Wed, Sep 2, 2009 : 6:17 a.m.

the reason this is a story is because of 1) who is involved. 2) because his character has been questioned numerous times (dare michigan fans forget he burned papers on his way out the door of wvu) and now its being shown that he has kept dealings with a guy who was banned by a former employer of his for giving illegal benefits to players....why would you want your coach to even have the stigma of being involved with a known banned booster? if im richrod i would leave ann arbor simply because of the media in michigan and the fair weathered nature of michigan fans in general..how can a teams fan base be so divided?

maizenbluenc

Wed, Sep 2, 2009 : 5:54 a.m.

Split the first sentence in the second paragraph into two -- hard to read.... looks like Roriquez and three others were arrested.... too many commas :-)

methodmad

Wed, Sep 2, 2009 : 5:53 a.m.

Uhh...........I don't think so with this quote ""]Coach Rodriguez is the victim of a fraudulent real estate Ponzi scheme that has unfortunately affected many Americans," How many americans received $26mm loans from banks to fund the construction of condo developments. He was the seller of condos, likely victimizing many people as he purports to have been victimized. RRod was one of the investors (developers). He didn't put any money into the project and thus the only reason that the bank made the loan was because he signed a personal guaranty (meaning that he would pay the bank for any shortfall if the project didn't go well). Now the project has failed and RRod is unwilling to honor the guaranty he signed. He is once again the victim. RRod has attorneys and financial advisors that would never let him guaranty a $26mm loan if he didn't understand what he was signing up for. This is just the latest attempt to get out of an obligation (remember the WVU buyout clause) 09/02/2009 7:38:28 a.m. EDT

rrandjbblow

Wed, Sep 2, 2009 : 5:47 a.m.

rr is making Jerry Tarkenian, the UNLV shark, look like a saint. My how the mighty have fallen and continue to plummet at break neck speed. Good job rr. Can't wait for Gibby to get in on the soap opera.

bigblue

Wed, Sep 2, 2009 : 3:52 a.m.

these haters don't want to talk about football because they know that MICHIGAN is much better this year and they need to distract us with this nonsense.

stevieboy

Wed, Sep 2, 2009 : 1:47 a.m.

AGAIN.....Who Cares!!!!! Let's talk about football!

andrewscott

Wed, Sep 2, 2009 : 1:33 a.m.

misleading and slanderous headlines like this are pathetic

greenphoenix

Wed, Sep 2, 2009 : 12:56 a.m.

This is a truly sloppy, dreadful piece of journalism. Let's look at the facts, even as they are laid out in the article: 1) In 2000 Greene was banned from the Clemson program 2) Rodriguez left the Clemson program in 2000 for entirely unrelated reasons (i.e., he got a better job) 3) It wasn't until *2004* that the real estate deals described in the complaint occurred, at which point neither individual was affiliated with Clemson. So how is Greene's former status as a Clemson booster relevant to this discussion? This is pretty weak stuff. Seriously, Annarbor.com, you should be ashamed of yourselves for posting this.

bigblue

Wed, Sep 2, 2009 : 12:52 a.m.

if RR gets run out of MICHIGAN we may never recover. you're either with MICHIGAN or against them. love it or leave it. now i realize why MICHIGAN was voted as having some of the most obnoxious fans in the country. look out for 10 wins this year.

Salinegoblue

Wed, Sep 2, 2009 : 12:08 a.m.

I can believe this, associating with a known banned booster? Mr. Ethics, end our misery, let Magee coach us threw this year.

BoulderLion

Tue, Sep 1, 2009 : 11:53 p.m.

This is wonderful comedy. Honestly, this kind of stuff couldn't pass for believable fiction...except that it is true. Personally, I hope Martin sticks with RichRod for many years to come. The entertainment value of not only the allegations, but the response on these blogs, is priceless. I just hope that what actually happens on the playing field doesn't distract us from this ongoing drama.

A2D2

Tue, Sep 1, 2009 : 11:17 p.m.

YIKES!!!!!!!! How many more rocks can get thrown into RR's backpack before it brings him to his knees? On the other hand, I heard that Les Miles is a bad tipper and that Jim Harbaugh doesn't floss after every meal.

DwightSchrute

Tue, Sep 1, 2009 : 10:20 p.m.

Rasmus, I know full well what I am talking about. Regardless of when he developed his relationship with the booster and how many years it took to do so, he should have severed any and all ties with him the first time he was banned from Clemson. No question. Not up for debate. That is what makes this particular lawsuit ugly for RR. The developer is under no obligation to consider that he is a victim of his booster buddy. All they know is that RR has not paid the money he owes them.

Ryan Munson

Tue, Sep 1, 2009 : 10:14 p.m.

"You know, if aa.com reporters spent as much time digging up dirt on the city as they do on college sports, then I'll bet the city would be a much better place to live with much lower taxes." Contradictory statement? Is there a place that has low taxes and as high of a quality of living as Ann Arbor?

DwightSchrute

Tue, Sep 1, 2009 : 10:12 p.m.

All of you are missing are choosing to ignore the most important point of this story. And that is that RR remained business partners with a banned booster from his days at Clemson. How much clearer does it need to be in the story?

ez

Tue, Sep 1, 2009 : 10:09 p.m.

I AGREE WITH THE WEST VIRGINIA FAN--IM SO GLAD RR LEFT WV NOW, HE WAS A WRECK WAITING TO HAPPEN, AN NOW IT'S HAPPENED-HEHEHEH--IM A BIG BLUE FAN (GOLD AN BLUE) THAT IS--I LIKE 2 TEAMS ---WV AN WHO EVER PLAYS UM

johnnya2

Tue, Sep 1, 2009 : 10:01 p.m.

Because we ARE MICHIGAN this does matter. Who you associate with IS the essence of college sports. Why do you think there was an issue with the basketball teams and one Ed Martin. In less than 2 years as head coach he has been sued by his former employer and now his business dealings are under scrutiny. It tells me he does not do his due dilegence in his personal life, which translates into bringing in marginal kids who will cause problems. Maybe ones who will tell of his illegal practice requirements. Oh wait, that already happened. Thanks for all of you who wanted something other than Lloyd. A classy man was replaced by this loser.

aarox

Tue, Sep 1, 2009 : 9:49 p.m.

we just need to ignore this kind of stuff. We are Michigan! Even if all this stuff is true it doesn't matter. Because We are Michgian!!!

Rasmus

Tue, Sep 1, 2009 : 9:43 p.m.

Could this headline be more misleading? At least one of the "five felony counts" is for stealing Rodriguez's money. He is a victim. Plus, the bank is suing him to try and hold him accountable for what Greene allegedly stole from them. Dave, you can do better. Dwight, you don't know the timing of the partnership -- these kinds of deals (and subsequent lawsuits) take years to develop. Greene was reinstated by Clemson at one point, so it could have been then, or even before the first ban. I'm not saying you're wrong, but I am saying you don't seem to know what you're talking about.

bobert

Tue, Sep 1, 2009 : 9:37 p.m.

Rodriguez is on the verge of taking UM football into PR Hell. Forget worrying about Ohio State this year...it's probably why in one of his statements that he said he just wanted to think about the Western Michigan game...and that might be worrisome.

Coach_Cooper

Tue, Sep 1, 2009 : 9:35 p.m.

No doubt tomorrow's headline will bring Rich Rod's unpaid/overdue parking tickets to the surface! With journalism gems like this, it's no wonder AA news went out of print!

DagnyJ

Tue, Sep 1, 2009 : 9:33 p.m.

This story tells me that RR made some bonehead moves investing in real estate. So did the Clintons. So did a lot of people. Big deal. Why is AA.com spending so much energy on a football coach's real estate flops, and not on figuring out what is going on in the city?

DwightSchrute

Tue, Sep 1, 2009 : 9:22 p.m.

Dagny, you do realize the ridiculousness of your statement, right? It is this simple: Had RR fully separated himself from the rogue booster in question like Clemson allegedly did, RR would not have this lawsuit and PR nightmare years later.

wvuweirton

Tue, Sep 1, 2009 : 9:20 p.m.

FROM A WEST VIRGINIA FAN As more is learned about RR's character, we are so glad Rodriguez is no longer at West Virginia... We all knew that RR had a big EGO, but his yearly demands for more money caused WV's adminstration is finally say NO to his demands... Many at first were very upset with WVU with letting RR get away...But, over the past year, many stories about RR's CHARACTER and EGO have come out...The fact is WV did it's best keeping those stories from the public what the real RR was really about... As the wins at WV increased, so did RR's EGO...and his almost yearly demands for more money... Finally WV said NO to his demands, that is when RR jumped ship to Michigan... The truth is, even after RR agreeded to go to Michigan, he met again with WV's president and said he would stay at WV for 1/2 million dollar increase in his salary... WV said NO, the rest is history... Good luck Michigan, you will need it...Actually before RR went to UM, many WV's fans alway rooted for UM over Ohio State....

DagnyJ

Tue, Sep 1, 2009 : 9:01 p.m.

You know, if aa.com reporters spent as much time digging up dirt on the city as they do on college sports, then I'll bet the city would be a much better place to live with much lower taxes. I'm not a RR lover, but this is really a ridiculous story. Psst, RR invested money in a losing real estate deal with a bunch of people and one guy who lived in another state from him then, and now, did some bad things that have nothing to do with the real estate deal. Huh??