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Great move when you're still hunting for a successor...

You don't do moves like this now, you wait until AFTER you find a replacement, and then pull out everything you can dig up for the lawsuit.

Meat Chicken will just pay it ... pfft. They got "Their Man".

WVU and This drama are the new Notre Dame of this site.....

I don't think the lawsuit will have any effect on the coaching search. He should pay it... Don't you think if Jimbo Fisher would've been interested in the job and decided to forego his contract with FSU that he wouldn't have paid the $2.5 million buy out in his contract??
I don't know, exactly, what happened behind the scenes in the WV Athletic Department but the manner in which Rodriguez left just makes me believe there was more going on than what's being told.
I think Rodriguez is a stand-up guy and it surprised me he left the way he did. And, I think WV's Athletic Dept. bent over backwards to give the guy what he'd requested.. So, something gives.

This lawsuit is a bit premature isn't it? The thirty period when Rodriguez's 1/3 payback of the $4 mil is due hasn't even come to pass yet so why the heck waste money on an event that hasn't yet happened? Of course there is the "send a message" aspect of it which is still a waste of college funds. The Board of Regents just got their feeling hurt and isn't a well thought out move.

Shy, I think Rodriguez has claimed that WV is in breach of contract and it's officials want a judge to determine that the school did not breach it's contract with Rodriguez.
I guess Coach Rod made some comments that WVU didn't fulfill all the promises made to him .. So, I guess WV is just getting a jump on the ball.
Good to see ya on c College page, Alex!!

The WVU athletic department and the Detroit Free Press - made for each other!!

I'm with Prove It above - seems like they've jumped the gun, and between this and the Jimbo Fisher screwup, I'd be thinking twice before accepting an offer from WVU.

Sounds to me that there are some dirty little secrets about Rich Rod that are going to come out in the open. I think theres more then meets the eye about this whole thing. And I think WVU is doing the right thing by taking it to court they are backing up there statements and trying to unsoil there name after all the bad press from RR "people". Good for WVU.

I really think that WVU has mishandled the situation. These kinds of things happen in college football. It's just the way the system is. Rich Rod succeeded at WVU in spite of the athletic department. The more this situation plays out, the more WVU's athletic department looks kind of busch league, IMHO. I agree with Fletch, that there had to be some major issues beneath the surface with Rich and the AD. Perhaps he was promised things when he renewed his contract that the school later reneged on. Perhaps he just couldn't pass up a job the caliber of Michigan. If he broke the contract, Rich or Michigan should have to pay the buyout. If WVU didn't fulfill their part he shouldn't. Either way, I think WVU's response to the situation should have waited until they found another coach. WVU is not a top tier coaching job. Coaches are going to get offered jobs at top tier schools, with better facilities, and more money, and they are going to leave. Most schools negotiate the buyout with the coach if he leaves for a 'better' job. Rarely does the coach pay the full buyout. If I was heading to WVU to coach, I would be paying very close attention to how they handle the situation.

Ryanmal are you serious. RR is the only person conducting bush league tactics. He held that school for ransom last year and they gave him everything he wanted. Than the next year he leaves. It sound like he was greedy. Just because a donor who is good friends with RR comes out and says the school miss handled things doesn't mean its true. The point is he broke his contract by not giving written notice and not getting permission to talk to UM. Hes bitter he has to pay the buy out and so he starts a media mud slinging campaign to seem like WVU broke the contract. Bottom line hes responsible for the 4 million dollars because HE broke the contract not WVU.

nvaevo,

Same thing happened with Beilien. The WVU had to settle on a much smaller number since they did not uphold their end of the contract either. I don't expect coach rod to have to pay nearly all of this.

Oh, and you claim WVU gave RR everyhing he wanted, but then in the next sentence claim he's greedy. Obviously WVU didn't give RR everything he wanted, otherwise he wouldn't have left...

This is just how college football works. They do very little to develop talent, they just recycle the same coaches over and over again to different schools. With hundreds of coordinators out there, why do schools target a coach at a school under contract? This leads to the belief that college football is one of the biggest "good ole boy" networks out there. How does H. Nutt get another head coaching job when he did nothing at Arkansas? At least Rodriguez won Big East Championships (which to be honest, how hard is that)

About time a school stepped up and got their money back from these coaches that keep leaving and having the kids hold the bags. Those kids come to a schol to play for a coach not really the school and if a coach leave they should allow players to go also

I agree cusefan21,

How do you hold a player to a committment, but you don't hold the coach? if someone comes into my living room and makes me feel comfortable enough to go to a school then Isn't it almost false advertising if they are not there when I get there. I know the school will say that you come for the education and your not siging for the coach, but let's be honest, a lot of kids are. I would have loved to play for Bobby Bowden at FSU.

Didn't WVU grab Huggins from Kansas State after he just signed a contract? I think that they did. So lets not get all holier than thou about the way WVU handled the situation. Rodriguez' whole point is that the contract was void before he 'failed to give written notice' because the school didn't live up to their end of the bargain. Same thing with Beilein. His buyout was reduced dramatically because the school didn't live up to their end of the bargain. A contract works two ways. Why should RR be held to his end of the contract but not WVU. We don't know for sure what happend, but this same situation occurred with Beilein and he got out of most of his buyout. They WVU went and did the same thing to K-state that they were freaking out about Michigan doing to them.

And what is so busch league about RR leaving to take a BETTER JOB? Coaches do that all the time. I'm sure it will come out that WVU didn't live up to their end of the bargain with regards to improving facilities, etc. So RR left to take a job at a better school with much much better facilities, a legendary stadium, and much better recruiting opportunities.

I do agree however about the players being allowed to transfer without losing eligability if the coach leaves.

Rich Rodriguez got a former Mountaineer Cheerleader pregnant and perhaps that hasn't really come out yet? Better watch out Michigan girls. Why do you think they call him "Coach Rod"?

Bottom line... RR owes the money, WVU gave him what they said they would and was working on the rest. Most of the things RR said he didn't get were things that take time.

WVU is doing the right thing by not waiting for RR's lawyers to file something first (which they would have). Now the ball is in our court in Morgantown, not some other state. I am close to the area, there will be dirt getting out about RR. Most of you here are just hearing the national media take on the whole thing. It's not about him leaving WVU, it's how he did it and circumstances surrounding how he did it. The man is a snake, and we had to be deceived to figure that out.

um if wvu didn't live up to their agreement then WHY would they take it to court??? That would just be throwing the money away because if the court determined that they breached the contract then RR wouldn't have to pay anything. That contract is probably pretty iron clad considering he tried to bolt last year. And by the way I have no problem with a coach leaving but its they way he did it. By not letting the school know he was talking to Michigan and then letting a recruit know that he was leaving even before his players. Just seams kind of heartless.

I also agree that if coaches are able to leave with sitting out a year then players should also be able to transfer with out sitting out a year.

um if wvu didn't live up to their agreement then WHY would they take it to court??? That would just be throwing the money away because if the court determined that they breached the contract then RR wouldn't have to pay anything. That contract is probably pretty iron clad considering he tried to bolt last year. And by the way I have no problem with a coach leaving but its they way he did it. By not letting the school know he was talking to Michigan and then letting a recruit know that he was leaving even before his players. Just seams kind of heartless.

I also agree that if coaches are able to leave with sitting out a year then players should also be able to transfer with out sitting out a year.