Rich Rodriguez (official thread of last laughs)

[MililaniBuckeye]

He's probably referring to his short stint in Denver.

Mo Clarett did drink during practice and weight-lifting sessions while in Denver. Where do you think "getting your goose on" came from?

He had reportedly been drinking during practice when this episode happened.

If that had anything to do with Tressel, then HTM would have a point...but it doesn't, so he doesn't.

 

[billmac91]

If that had anything to do with Tressel, then HTM would have a point...but it doesn't, so he doesn't.

agreed.

 

[Steve19]

Which of those ethically-challenged coaches that you have named ever stooped so low as to abandon his team before a BCS Bowl, especially in the disruptive manner that he did.

Which of them trumpeted the need for a $4 million dollar buyout clause and then set out to try to evade it less than two years later?

On those two counts alone, RR belongs forever in that club and somewhere near its bottom, in my opinion.

HTM, you aren't going to change any opinions here. In time, though, you will see the truth in what we say. Time will tell and we are happy to wait.

 

[Steve19]

Also, let's not forget that Lazear was a well-known quantity. Clarett on the other hand, was an honor student and entered the University as a positive role model and supposedly stand up guy who challenged the upper classmen to bear down to work.

There is a lot to compare between them. They had two legs, two arms, two eyes, and a nose. Otherwise, not so much!

 

[Sportsbuck28]

Also, let's not forget that Lazear was a well-known quantity. Clarett on the other hand, was an honor student and entered the University as a positive role model and supposedly stand up guy who challenged the upper classmen to bear down to work.

There is a lot to compare between them. They had two legs, two arms, two eyes, and a nose. Otherwise, not so much!

IIRC (And I was only 11 years old at the time so give me a break), didn't Clarett have multiple red flags coming out of HS? Wasn't there something about a video with a teammates g/f?

 

[NFBuck]

IIRC (And I was only 11 years old at the time so give me a break), didn't Clarett have multiple red flags coming out of HS? Wasn't there something about a video with a teammates g/f?

Supposedly Prescott Burgess's girlfriend if I remember correctly.

Nothing remotely close to Lazear's level.

 

[BuckeyeBill]

Sometimes the hyperbole in this thread just goes over the top! Is it safe to say RR has badly mishandled his divorce from WV? Yes. Do we know that his style is a bit "old school" with the vulgarity? Yes. Is he an aggressive recruiter? Yes. Has he shown himself to be a bit opportunistic? Most definitely.

But these, and the other stories floating around do not establish him as unethical, classless, or without character. In my book, he still has a way to go to establish those things. So, to you, HTM, here is one Buckeye fan who doesn't believe the guy is a scumbag (at least not yet, he may prove me wrong). But as I have said before and it bears repeating, he has definitely redefined the term "Michigan Man". We'll just have to wait and see how far that redefinition goes.

 

[billmac91]

Sometimes the hyperbole in this thread just goes over the top! Is it safe to say RR has badly mishandled his divorce from WV? Yes. Do we know that his style is a bit "old school" with the vulgarity? Yes. Is he an aggressive recruiter? Yes. Has he shown himself to be a bit opportunistic? Most definitely.

But these, and the other stories floating around do not establish him as unethical, classless, or without character. In my book, he still has a way to go to establish those things. So, to you, HTM, here is one Buckeye fan who doesn't believe the guy is a scumbag (at least not yet, he may prove me wrong). But as I have said before and it bears repeating, he has definitely redefined the term "Michigan Man". We'll just have to wait and see how far that redefinition goes.

I see where you are coming from, but.......

Does an ethical person do the following:

1) Come up with a fake story that the school will not hire an assistant coach to become head coach based on the color of his skin to gain leverage in a lawsuit.

2) Lie about the date he contacted Michigan

3) Leave his team before a BCS game

4) Tell his star recurit he's going to Michigan before he tells his team

5) Stand by a lawyer who compares his contract at WVU to Southern Slavery and buying freedom from their owners. (I think a former slave would be willing to give back 4 million dollars in an effort to gain MILLIONS more while making a living at a profession they love rather than being raped, beaten, humiliated, and treated like dirt).

I'm sure I'm missing some as well. I could care less he's the incoming Michigan coach. He's just classless. The fact he didn't fire his lawyer after his comments about slavery were enough for me. Add in his assistant coach who made up a story to gain leverage on WVU, and I'm at a loss for words.

The guy isn't moral, plain and simple. Good luck at UM Rich. I initially thought you were a good hire, not as good as Brian Kelly, but solid. Now you are just a sitting duck. Karma is a bitch.

He may get his share of victories, but I doubt it. Bad things happen to bad people. Rich made his bed, and now he is about to sleep in it. It isn't shocking to me that tOSU continues to get unbeliveable recruits and re-appear in championship games.

JT is a genuine person. You can question the stories at YSU and the MoC saga, but at the end of the day, even a Michigan fan would have trouble saying JT is dirty. The guy(JT) just gets it.....it's about the kids and making them better people. Wins come as a result of his attitude towards developing them as people. Developing the kids into "winners" as people, translates to "winners" on the field. Parents and players know he breeds success whether it's on the field as a pro, or in the office as a working professional.

How does a guy who tries to wiggle his way out of a contract by having an assistant coach make up a story about racial biases translate to "winning"? It's actually sickening. It's absolutely wrong and the absolute opposite of right.

You can claim it's the just the court case that reflects Rich in a poor light, but this court case does more than a substantial case on how moral he is. Moral people don't violate a clear contract and then refuse to abide by the rules. Moral people don't have an assistant make up a story to gain leverage on a university, while ruining the reputation of a "friend". Moral people don't let someone who represents them disrespect an entire generation of people who were enslaved. Comparing a $4,000,000 contract buyout to slaves buying their freedom is disgusting. I'm absolutely shocked it never really went mainstream.

Rich Rodriguez will get his share of recruits. He will continually have his supporters like Charlie Weiss currently has at Notre Dame. He may have successful seasons, but I highly doubt he ever reaches greatness. In todays age, unethical people, especially college coaches, get exposed. Rich isn't being unfairly picked on, he is being exposed because of his unethical actions. In the end, his poor moral fabric will cause him to fail. Players and families aren't going to want to play/send their kids to a person who doesn't improve their well-being. Honestly, I'd be shocked if Kevin Newsome had any idea of all the crap that is going on right now(lawsuit, comments regarding slavery, transfering players, etc.). In 3 or 4 years will Rich have proven that he can turn boys into men and successful contributors to society?

A Michigan fan will say yes, Rich's track record would say no. I guess we will see in 3-4 years. My guess is JT continues to own Michigan.

 

[Steve19]

Nobody is perfect. Not RR. Not Jim Tressel, who would probably be the first to remind us all that Christ said, "let he who is without sin cast the first stone." However, I don't think anyone here is proclaiming that RR is the return of the Ripper, even if the discussion is cycling downward by the minute.

To me, the issue regarding RR concerns his ability to develop players to perform on the field and in life.

What most folks are posting is that it seems reasonable to conclude, given RR's actions during the last few years and the eyewitness accounts of highly respected BP posters, that RR is not likely to make highly principled choices. Furthermore, because he isn't and our coach, by his behavior, is likely to make those choices, we believe that our coach will have a more positive effect on his team, its performance on the field, and the lives of the players long after football.

HTM, perhaps you like the warm feeling one gets temporarily when pissing in the wind, but I think we all know that you disagree with that characterization. Yet, even if the basis for your views has been stated, it also seems pretty clear that your logic remains unclear, or at least, very hard to believe for most posters here.

My personal reservations are expressed most easily in a question: What exactly are these players learning about life from the example of this coach?

One thing is clear, HTM, you aren't taking anyone along with you down that road on this site. Even BuckeyeBill, who has posted some support for you, was already there, as he just happens to be a very reasonable man (just check his posts).

Here is where I think most posters here stand.

We've had years of the Harvard of the Midwest exposed as a sham in the education of your players in "independent" learning courses under one professor who could not possibly have supervised the learning of so many students, as testified by the complaints within his own department. We've seen a prized lineman, who by all accounts was one of the players who really took to the new S&C program, leave and come to Ohio State because he was uncomfortable with the vulgarity and treatment he received. We've had a high school coach who is a highly respected poster on this site confirm such behavior, long before TSUN's offer was even on the table.

And we've seen a University of Michigan football coach cast into the conversation with Saban and a host of people with character issues for the first time in at least half a century. This is simply unprecedented and many of us are concerned because it is depreciating the value of the greatest football rivalry, perhaps the greatest rivalry in all of sports.

So, it is unclear why you hold the beliefs you do but I would suggest that we all respect each other's rights to hold what appear to be well-entrenched views.

Let's mark this thread for discussion in three years time and let's see who held the more accurate views. We made NDChief that same offer and we know how that turned out. If, you are right, well then you will have ample opportunity to gloat. Personally, I think we see the same with RR.

 

[Jimmy Carter]

No offense to Grad either - I have seen him refer to some of the stuff you're talking about - but he is also a poster on a message board and for me to believe it I'd have to see some concrete stuff.

pm grad21 to get the entire story so he doesn't have to air the laundry here in public.

I'm sure he'd give you the details if you agree to have an adult conversation about it.

 

[Tlangs]

Also, let's not forget that Lazear was a well-known quantity. Clarett on the other hand, was an honor student and entered the University as a positive role model and supposedly stand up guy who challenged the upper classmen to bear down to work.

There is a lot to compare between them. They had two legs, two arms, two eyes, and a nose. Otherwise, not so much!

I love it when opposing fans bring up Clarett.....

Does everyone forget that the guy was suspended from the team and never played a down of football after the car insurance claim incident. There was no wrongdoing ever found by the NCAA after 2 years of investigations. I could see using him as an argument if he continued to play while all this was going on....but Tressel basically kicked his sorry ass off the team. If he wasn't a total moron and didn't sue the NFL, he probably would have had college eligibility left and could have played somewhere. Clarett was his own worst enemy...not Tressel.

 

[HailToMichigan]

The reason I brought up Clarett was not to bash Tressel, but to point out that Tressel was not always so bulletproof. He earned that over a period of time. http://www.buckeyeplanet.com/forum/381219-post13.html It's an old (which is half the point) and isolated post but not an isolated viewpoint.

Let's mark this thread for discussion in three years time and let's see who held the more accurate views. We made NDChief that same offer and we know how that turned out. If, you are right, well then you will have ample opportunity to gloat. Personally, I think we see the same with RR.

I'm up for it.

 

[BB73]

And we've seen a University of Michigan football coach cast into the conversation with Saban and a host of people with character issues for the first time in at least half a century. This is simply unprecedented and many of us are concerned because it is depreciating the value of the greatest football rivalry, perhaps the greatest rivalry in all of sports.

Just for the record, Gary Moeller's departure at TSUN occurred about 13 years ago, so the entire 50-year period isn't without an incident that could be described as a 'character issue'. For those who don't recall, there were supposedly tapes of a drunken outburst by Moeller after he was arrested for disorderly conduct at the now-defunct Excalibur restaurant in Southfield, a suburb of Detroit. He resigned and was replaced by Lloyd Carr.

 

[gregorylee]

Just for the record, Gary Moeller's departure at TSUN occurred about 13 years ago, so the entire 50-year period isn't without an incident that could be described as a 'character issue'. For those who don't recall, there were supposedly tapes of a drunken outburst by Moeller after he was arrested for disorderly conduct at the now-defunct Excalibur restaurant in Southfield, a suburb of Detroit. He resigned and was replayed by Lloyd Carr.

All this is true, but he got the waitress's digits!!

 

[mross34]

Braylon Edwards was on Tirico and Van Pelt earlier today (ESPN radio). They asked him what he thought about DickRod. He started off by saying, "Well he gave the #1 jersey to an incoming freshman DB. The jersey has never been worn by someone other than a WR." He didn't sound too happy. Then he said that he thinks DickRod is gonna do a good job.

Sounds like RR is ruffling some feathers up in AA.