OT: RR's Welcome: Blasted in the Tucson Weekly
New Arizona head football coach Rich Rodriguez received an interesting welcome from the city's weekly newspaper. The story can be found here.
The article claims that:
Rodriguez's record is terrible—when it comes to ethics, if not on the football field. At West Virginia University, he skipped town for greener pastures shortly after signing a new contract. His December 2007 departure was so ugly that he didn't even bother to coach his team in their January 2008 bowl game. West Virginia wound up suing Rodriguez for breach of contract—and eventually got all the money it sought in a settlement.
What did Rodriguez do at his next stop, the University of Michigan? He violated several major NCAA rules. When players came forward to discuss the violations—which included Rodriguez and his staff making players practice longer than the rules allow—he denied he was in the wrong. "We go by the rules," Rodriguez said.
Later, the university admitted to the rules violations.
Now, after those disgraceful activities, he's the new UA football coach, with a five-year, $9.55 million contract—with incentives beyond that.
In making this hire, UA athletic director Greg Byrne proved the above point: At the UA, money and winning are apparently more important than academics, fairness and ethics.
For anyone who has sniffed Three and Out, this letter from the editor seems especially absurd. It really demonstrates the power of the media over the masses--and the power of the media within itself. It's a shame that Rodriguez is being welcomed in this fashion. Most of us know him as the coach who lost big at Michigan, but we also know him as a good guy who cared greatly about his players.
November 23rd, 2011 at 9:23 PM ^
Sounds like all of Arizona isn't "all in"
November 23rd, 2011 at 10:15 PM ^
ADIDAS had a new commercial with the tag line ADIDAS is all in. So we got that going for us
November 23rd, 2011 at 9:24 PM ^
A Free Press West.
November 23rd, 2011 at 9:55 PM ^
is not limited to Michigan.
November 23rd, 2011 at 9:25 PM ^
Those who can - do.
Those who cannot do - become journalists and tell everyone else their opinions about those that can
November 23rd, 2011 at 9:47 PM ^
And those who can't become journalists teach p.e.!
November 23rd, 2011 at 10:23 PM ^
Those who can't become journalists become magna cum laude at OSU.
November 23rd, 2011 at 11:58 PM ^
I teach PE and I take a great deal of pride in what I do and the kind of program we have going. I understand the meme, but it's not everyone.
November 24th, 2011 at 4:39 AM ^
+1. PE is as important now as it ever was. I hope you continue to teach the benefits of an active lifestyle and send your best to wear the winged helmet! Thanks for serving the kids.
November 23rd, 2011 at 10:27 PM ^
did a double-take at your avatar. Same lady? /no offense intended
what's next? SRkass posting nudies?
November 24th, 2011 at 6:28 AM ^
November 24th, 2011 at 9:16 AM ^
And I'd like to think I'm fair when reporting news.
November 23rd, 2011 at 9:25 PM ^
catch a break. He hasn't had time to commit a gaffe in Arizona and is already being bashed in the media.
November 23rd, 2011 at 9:29 PM ^
There are no real truths when it comes to this situation. As biased vs. RR this article may be...3 and out went in the other direction and is biased in its own way. No one will really know what exactly went on, and those that do are not talking. IMO RR is solely to blame for his poor record at Michigan...everything else was just BS but on the field, Michigan was poorly coached for those 3 seasons.
November 23rd, 2011 at 10:49 PM ^
November 23rd, 2011 at 9:30 PM ^
amazing what the media can get away with.
Shameful.
November 23rd, 2011 at 9:49 PM ^
Don't be such a homer. The article is factually accurate. The school admitted to major violations. They weren't horrible. But they were violations.
November 23rd, 2011 at 9:59 PM ^
It may be factually accurate, but those facts are presented in a biased way so as to lead the reader to a conclusion that isn't fully reflective of the situation.
November 23rd, 2011 at 9:30 PM ^
I'm sure this journalistic entity has the best interests of Arizona and its student-athletes at heart by publishing this attack piece. Maybe they think Zona should have pushed harder for Urban Meyer.
November 23rd, 2011 at 9:31 PM ^
The difference this time is that Arizona already has low expectations after 3 winning seasons in the past 10 years. he'll be great
November 23rd, 2011 at 9:32 PM ^
Freedom of the press and all that, but malicious defamation of character by way of deliberate omission of critical information, combined with borderline libel? Not okay.
November 23rd, 2011 at 9:36 PM ^
Could have been written by an ASU homer fearing a beatdown from UA for years to come.
November 23rd, 2011 at 9:39 PM ^
"Kind Of In For Arizona"
The senior executives in the marketing group would like to speak with you...
November 23rd, 2011 at 9:41 PM ^
I hate when people make breach of contract sound like some sort of crime. What a joke.
November 23rd, 2011 at 10:27 PM ^
to mention that WV is breaching its contract with the Big East....
But there are parts of the story that is factually accurate, but some folks do not like that version. Oh well. Good luck to him in Arizona.
Go Blue!
November 23rd, 2011 at 9:44 PM ^
I give you Rich Rod's latest nemisis - Jimmy Boegle - editor Tuscon Weekly
November 23rd, 2011 at 9:48 PM ^
I for one will boycott this charlatan and his newspaper establishment immediately!
November 23rd, 2011 at 9:47 PM ^
Yo, fuck that guy.
I'll give them a break since it's Arizona, otherwise known as the Cradle of Hell.
November 23rd, 2011 at 9:49 PM ^
Rodriguez is ten times better than that asshole Mark Stoops.
November 23rd, 2011 at 9:52 PM ^
ROSENBERG PART DEUX
November 23rd, 2011 at 9:56 PM ^
Sheesh...... RR just can't catch a break anywhere. He went about as far away from Michigan as you can possibly get and is still getting dragged through the mud.
I really feel for the guy.
November 23rd, 2011 at 10:01 PM ^
What about Mike Stoops?
November 23rd, 2011 at 10:10 PM ^
ever hang out with Craig James?
November 23rd, 2011 at 10:01 PM ^
Now that RR's the coach at another school, I no longer care what he has to go through while being paid $2M per year
November 23rd, 2011 at 10:02 PM ^
How many douchebag Drew Sharps are there around this country?
November 23rd, 2011 at 10:09 PM ^
It is some weekly, alternative newspaper on par with Detroit's Metro Times. So it's given away from piles on the floor of select stores. I'd hardly give this any credence as to how RR will be treated in AZ. I think everyone needs to settle down a bit.
November 23rd, 2011 at 10:52 PM ^
right on the head. I'm not reading Metro Times or Real Detroit for extensive, in depth sports coverage. Also the fact that his bio says he's the editor since 2003 and likes tequila...enough said.
November 23rd, 2011 at 11:03 PM ^
Including the comparison to the Metro Times. What a joke.
"Jimmy Boegle"? Fer real?
November 23rd, 2011 at 10:13 PM ^
After he starts winning games, they will all love him. Most of the national media think it was a great hire. The Tucson Weekly hardly sound like a prominent publication.
November 23rd, 2011 at 10:34 PM ^
RR has a douchey quality that the media doesn't buy. His corny why not Arizona speech gave me flashbacks to some bad days. I think RR will fail at AZ but I hope I'm wrong because he's not a bad guy just IMO an overrated HC who should probably just be a coordinator at a spread program.
November 23rd, 2011 at 10:44 PM ^
Don't underestimate RR...he will fail at Arizona.
November 23rd, 2011 at 10:13 PM ^
The media is such a friggin joke, it's unreal. Amazing how wrong and distorted they present something as benign as a football coach hire.
November 23rd, 2011 at 10:21 PM ^
November 23rd, 2011 at 10:40 PM ^
SEVERAL MAJOR VIOLATIONS!!!
November 23rd, 2011 at 10:15 PM ^
needs to read some mgoblog. everything you could ever want to know about richrod from 2007-2010!
November 23rd, 2011 at 10:17 PM ^
I can't believe Stoops was there 8 years. Seemed like he just was hired a couple years ago. Hell they went to a Bowl game last year, I was bored and drove down to SA from Austin and watched them get killed by Okie St.
Zona/UM would be an interesting Rose Bowl
I hope he does well out there, there are a few good teams to root against out there so it would be nice to see Arizona have some sucess.
November 23rd, 2011 at 10:27 PM ^
One thought: It baffles me how the complete dysfunction of WVU and their athletic department and the governor go completely ignored in story after story after story about RR and why he left in the first place. He didn't leave because he was chasing big money, he left because he was surrounded by paranoid children in adult bodies with gigantic egos.
November 23rd, 2011 at 10:37 PM ^
the goats and sheep
November 23rd, 2011 at 10:48 PM ^
The roaches resurface in the desert. Just win Rod. It'll all go away.