Rich Rod-ESPN RADIO
So, I was just listening to ESPN Radio and a scary topic came up.
It has basically been said that the reason the NCAA is investigating at West Virginia is to see if the violations which occurred here also happened there, under RR's watch. This is important because the major argument being made by RR and UM is that these infractions were made either by accident or by ignorance and were not the result of a system put in place by RR, rather they were an issue of the AD-compliance staff.
IF the NCAA finds that the same thing was going on at WV, it can conclude that a)there is a pattern of non-compliance that would tend to be evidence of a system put in place by RR and b)RR put these systems in place with the *intent* of stretching, skirting or bending the rules to, ultimately, give his players an advantage.
It was said that if this pattern can be determined it would weigh heavily on the severity of punishment being levied upon UM based on the fact that it was intentionally done by RR. Now, the scary part is that the commentator and guest speaker both agreed that if there is a pattern of abuse and the NCAA imposes a much harsher punishment than is expected at this point, it wouldn't be beyond the realm of possibility that UM cuts ties with RR BEFORE THE SEASON STARTS. I know, ESPN is the best spot to go to get information and of course I didn't take any of this with a grain of salt, but it still scares the hell out of me. I'm very doubtful that this would happen(at least before the season). What now and will this ever end?
April 14th, 2010 at 11:52 AM ^
would lie and say he whipped them, etcetra, just to get him in trouble?
I'm sure they would've done that already if they cared to. The University sure as heck isn't going to do it, because the punishments would go to WVA, NOT Michigan or RR.
Don't fall for the press' crap.
April 14th, 2010 at 12:07 PM ^
Plus, if WVU is granted immunity for their "cooperation" in the investigation, something could easily turn up.
That's my fear.
April 14th, 2010 at 12:21 PM ^
would require some sort of witch hunt against RR. The NCAA don't play that game.
April 14th, 2010 at 12:02 PM ^
Conspiracy theories and I believe that the majority of the people in this world are good people. As a child I spent my summers in Morgantown, my mothers hometown and fathers alma mater, many family members still live in the area and I visit quite often throughout the year. Does this make me an insider? No. But I can tell you this the WVU athletic administration has been a joke for years and this situation falls in line. First, you have to keep in mind that this is the same school that chased out Bobby Bowden (yes that Bobby Bowden) hung him in effigy and told him to pack his bags. After mediocre to losing seasons WVU finally got things going the right way with Don Nehlen, a Michigan assistant no less. WVU athletic department is showing us first hand how incompetent they are by citing a blurry interpretation of what happened 4 years ago. I would not put it past this program to inflict harm on its own program just to throw another stone at RR.
Everything is transparent to the notion that WVU can put a name to anything they want to what happened 4 plus years ago. Ugh! There is a reason why people were in tears when RR departed. Logical folk understand what is really happening here, irrational folk cant give it a rest.
Go Blue!
April 14th, 2010 at 12:03 PM ^
Why wouldn't they? All they care about is viewers and page views and they are getting them. Who are the individuals on ESPN drawing these conclusions? The "interviewer" and the "guest"? Do you have something remotely solid we can go on here or is it just well, "this one said this and that one said said so it must be a tempest"?
I am not belittling it but please keep it in perspective until we know something.
April 14th, 2010 at 12:11 PM ^
that's it. If there is a pattern, the penalties levied would of course be tougher. Here's the bigger issue: It seems to me that the NCAA probably does this all of the time (gathering background info) so why is it out in the media now? The answer probably deals with the fact that WVU would love to stick it to RR and the media's thirst for this guy just will not stop. If UM wins, we'll all be happy. If they don't, we have a new coach. Either way, it is a winning proposition.
Now, I do want to say that I love RR and think he's the totally right man for the job. But I think we have to prepare for anything at this stage.
P.S. The reason the MSU and OSU fans want him gone is because they too know that RR can coach. If they thought he was horrible, they'd want him to stay at UM forever (See John Cooper).
April 14th, 2010 at 12:27 PM ^
"I didn't take any of this with a grain of salt, but it still scares the hell out of me."You should take it with a grain of salt. Maybe I'm naive, but it would concern me more if he HADN'T made the same mistake at WVU... because if there was a misunderstanding of the rule in the first place, then I would expect that he made the mistake before. Finally, many people say "every program does it"...while it's not an excuse, if you buy that argument, then it shouldn't come as a surprise that WVU is being investigated as well. ESPN is out of its gourd if they think Michigan will let RR go.
April 14th, 2010 at 12:32 PM ^
You forgot the "of course" which was directly in front of that quote. Unless something comes straight out of left field there's no way RR is fired before the season. Furthermore, it is my epinion that this isn't an investigation of WVU. It's an attempt by the NCAA to gather all of the facts surrounding RR to figure out if it was a "mistake" or if this was intentional, which could drastically change the allegations. Also, if every team is doing it that doesn't mean that it's a "mistake". The investigation, up to this point, is not centered on RR. It is centered on the compliance dept. and I think this is an attempt by the NCAA to see if they are going after the right party here ( RR mandated procedures or oversight by the compliance dept.). As an aside, I too think this is all a crock of shit and it shouldn't amount to anything. It doesn't mean that the NCAA sees it that way. Even if they should.
April 14th, 2010 at 12:54 PM ^
Whoops, sarcasm meter was not adjusted.
I see your point, but I just wanted to highlight that (to me) it would make sense that RR made the same mistake while at WVU. As such, if he did, I wouldn't say it necessarily means he's intentionally being disingenuous.
April 14th, 2010 at 12:26 PM ^
In his haste, did RR, somehow, not jam the paper all the way through the shredder when he was leaving, and now, the NCAA has been able to piece it together?
God help us.
April 14th, 2010 at 12:42 PM ^
This simply diverts attention away from the overall disappointing performance of WVU under Stewart, and from Pastilong's hiring of him. If they can assist the NCAA and the media in painting RR as a long-time rule breaker, it makes RR the topic down in Morgantown, NOT Stewie. And I have no doubt whatsoever that Pastilong is perfectly happy to have sanctions levied against WVU as long as it smears RR in the bargain. He can say, hey it wasn't our fault, and 99% of the Morgantown Mopes will happily go along.
Meanwhile, Brock Mealer will walk onto the field before UConn on his own power. So go suck it, Rosenberg.
I believe they are making several false assumptions and were simply raising theories to fill air time. To me it sounds like wild speculation by people who are fairly smart but unfamiliar with NCAA rules and/or the law generally.
The NCAA punishes schools, according to its rules, for infractions committed by/at those schools. As I posted yesterday, if similar mistakes occurred under RR at WVU, that should make WVU sweat, not UM. The theory that the NCAA would use potential WVU infractions to infer intent at Michigan makes logical sense, and is the kind of thing you would use in a criminal trial on a tv sitcom, but I do not see it actually impacting the charges against Michigan. It is plausible as a common sense argument, but empty as a legal argument (IMO). Michigan will be judged on its own conduct, and already knows exactly what it, and its coach, did. Aside from potential impact to RR's personal reputation, this new investigation is WVU's problem, if anything, and I suspect it comes to nothing.
I will be concerned when I hear similar views coming from NCAA personnel or attorneys familiar with the subject area.
I agree with your point about it not being a position backed with legal reasoning. The only thing that keeps sticking here is this: Why would the NCAA contact WVU regarding RR's years if they did not intend to use that as a determining factor in their findings? I refuse to believe that anything the NCAA does is logical.
The NCAA conducts investigations school-by-school. They do intend to use information they obtain from WVU as part of an investigation -- their investigation of WVU. Their inquiry on RR raised suspicions that similar violations may have occurred at another school. They have made initial inquiries at that other school.
Coaches, under the NCAA rules, are like toddlers under the criminal law. If they do horrible things, you punish the parents. We are on the hook for the coaches we employ. We are not responsible for pre-adoption misdeeds that took place in the home of the birth parents.
If the NCAA believes Rich Rodriguez to be a pertetual rule breaker, one that broke rules at WVA, took affirmative steps to cover them up, and then broke the same rules at Michigan, then it may be possible that the NCAA flat out does not want Rich Rodriguez coaching college football. While it could not be the case that there is a public quid pro quo involved with the NCAA and Michigan such as Rodriguez leaves-we go soft, the investigation into Rodriguez at West Virginia could possibly signify to UM that your head coach is a problem, how much of a problem he is for you may depend on how much of a problem he is worth to you. Given his track record at Michigan, both on and off the field, I really don't know how hire-able RR is right now. It may be out at Michigan-out period-NCAA wins.
If the NCAA decides this guy is just plain bad news, they might be motivated to arrange some backroom deal to force Michigan's hand in firing him. That would be inappropriate though. And I think it's unlikely for three other reasons.
1. The item in the initial report following the UM investigation that faulted Rodriguez was pretty soft in its language. It said RR failed to foster an environment of compliance, etc. That is not knowing misconduct, it is a charge of unacceptable passivity.
2. Other coaches have done much worse and not inspired the kind of treatment you're envisioning.
3. The NCAA is probably not interested in making this look like the personal vendetta so many here believe it is. They are probably irritated the WVU inquiries were leaked and bolstered this perception.
you come in here with your logic and calmness?
on all three points. However, while the language of the letter of inquiry certainly did not suggest death penalty type offenses, it did take pretty dead aim at Rodriguez. I remember thinking to myself that I was surprized at the number of times that I saw his name specifically with reference to the rule violations.
As cor point 3, other coaches have done much worse and not inspired this kind of treatment, you are certainly correct, but have you noticed the new trend of coming into town, ignoring the NCAA, smashing the rules, and then blowing town before they have time to catch up, i.e. Calipari, Carrol, Kiffin. While it is true that the NCAA levies sanctions at the schools and not the coaches themselved, I am not sure that approach is at all logical or altogether effective. Perhaps this signifies a new tact by the NCAA.
But this is all really just speculation, just killing time until UConn I guess.
that the "E" in ESPN stands for entertainment. When an ESPN talking head is talking "what if's" then that is the direction he/she is heading.
confirms, in my opinion, what I have believed since the Freep story broke, and even before. Rich Rodriguez, and not the University of Michigan, is the target of the NCAA's wrath. There are no bold declarations to come out of what I am writing, and certainly no predictions. However, I believe that the NCAA is taking the investigations into RR's conduct a little more serious than many, including myself, had hoped. If you are a RR fan, the WVU investigation is very bad news. If you are a Michigan fan and do not like RR, it may actually be good news, depending on the action that Michigan is willing to take. If you are fan of both, as I am, then we may be forced to pick a side sooner than we had hoped.
ESPN fear mongering is the pits. Enough of this black propaganda, the karma-gods need to let Rich Rod be.