January 16, 2008
Did Rodriguez destroy player files at WVU?
West Virginia University has a small problem... every file on every current player is gone. In fact, every file relating to the football program over the last seven years -- including financial records, summer camps, boosters, and recruiting -- is missing.
Soon after returning to work after the Fiesta Bowl a little more than a week ago, the staff at the Puskar Center found that most of the files — including all of the player files — that had been stored in Rodriguez’s private office were missing. In addition, all of the players’ strength and conditioning files in the weight room were gone."It's unbelievable. Everything is gone, like it never existed," said a source within the athletic department, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "Good, bad or indifferent, we don't have a record of anything that has happened."
The university believes that the files went missing sometime between Rodriguez's December 16th resignation and January 3rd - when officials arrived to inventory the head coach's office after the bowl game.
According to The Charleston Gazette, a source saw Rodriguez and video coordinator Dusty Rutledge in the head coach's office shredding documents on December 18th, the day he was allowed to come to the campus to gather his personal items. The two were not question about the files at the time, however, because the university did not have any reason to be alarmed, says the source - insinuating that the paperwork that was destroyed may have been Coach Rod's own personal files or documents.
What's even more curious - and potentially even more explosive - is the finding that all of the strength and conditioning files are now missing, as well.
Those included every aspect of strength and conditioning progress made by players under former strength and conditioning coordinator Mike Barwis, who along with most of his immediate staff followed Rodriguez to Michigan after the Fiesta Bowl. Those files included the progression made by each player in every specific area, from bench-press totals to 40-yard dash times. The files even included pictures of the players at different points in their careers.
There are two schools of thought on the missing stength and conditioning files:
A) If you're already taking/shredding all the files relating to the current team, then -- obvisouly -- you are going to take/shred the strength and conditioning files, as well, or
B) There is something significant that should not be discovered pertaining to strength and conditioning at WVU.
The WVU legal team is investigating the matter.
Update
Rich Rodriguez agent has responded to the allegations that Coach Rod may have been involved in the shredding.
But Rodriguez's agent, Mike Brown, told the Free Press that his client did not take any "individual player files" and could not be the sole holder of sensitive information"He may have received copies," Brown said. "But I would sure hope the originals of those are in West Virginia's compliance office. If they do not have that information, they have serious institutional control issues."
Brown also took issue with the Gazette's accretion that because files were missing from the weight room office, no records existed from the strength and conditioning program run by Mike Barwis. The Gazette reported the files "even included pictures of the players at different points in their careers."
"Every time Mike Barwis did any evaluation sessions, all of the assistant coaches got a copy of the report," Brown said. "So Bill Stewart and the other remaining coaches should have copies."
Stewart, Rodriguez's former associate head coach and special teams coordinator, was promoted to head coach after the Fiesta Bowl. Barwis and four members of his staff joined Rodriguez in Ann Arbor.
"Also," Brown said, "Mike Barwis did not take pictures of the players at different stages of their career."
To paraphrase his agent - it wasn't Coach Rod in the Study with a candlestick... and WVU should be keeping better records anyway.
Comments:
FanoftheGame said:
posted on January 15, 2008 2:37 PM — 198.211.223.194 — link — abuse?
Evidently, someone is trying to keep others from finding out something. What is Rod saying about the missing files? Does he admit to taking or destroying them? If that is property of the university, then Coach Rod might need a lawyer.
He might just be spending sometime next season in and out of a West Virginia courtroom. Surely a university that gets stiffed on $4 million would take every action necessary to nail coach Rod's @$$ to the wall if the opportunity presented itself. Looks like the opportunity might be here.Zac said:
posted on January 15, 2008 2:38 PM — 209.36.193.14 — link — abuse?
AAAAAAANd the saga continues in the Mountain St, as Rich Rodriguez, former HC of the WVU Mountaineers, now HC of the MI Wolverines, is accused of impersonating the late President Richard M. Nixon, Bill Clinton, and Hilary Clinton, all at the same time. Copy Rights, Dick, copy rights…
(I meant to ask Kevin about this earlier, but forgot.) Anyway, speaking of Rich Rodriguez lending a whole new meaning to the term “Tricky Dick”, does anyone smell a steroid scandal at WVU? OR, could it be something else? Film at 11:00.
OU-Ron
posted on January 15, 2008 2:57 PM — 216.201.209.146 — link — abuse?
said:
Zac, you got my vote on the steroid use, what else could make those RB's so damn fast and all those DL's so fast that it made OU's OL look like statues in the Fiest bowl-----at least I would feel a little better, not much, but a little,----on second thought, no I wouldn't...
wvu_lifer
posted on January 15, 2008 3:18 PM — 75.109.107.108 — link — abuse? said:
I can see his families house burning now! They (some of the lesser intelligent fans) have already vanalized his folks' home. His 12 yr old niece has to be escorted to class.
On the other hand, untill it was mentioned here, i hadn't thought of the "steroid theory". What a legacy to leave, now i'm glad UM got him. They get what they deserve! Just my opinion. Any word from the Fraud-Man? What does he have to say?
TE
posted on January 15, 2008 4:06 PM — 204.68.245.11 — link — abuse? said:
C'mon, Ramblin' Gator, I'm actually a Registered Independent, but in all honesty...Bush didn't shred sh!t...
Sandy Berger does come to mind...Mr. "Sneak the Classified (read: Incriminating) Documents out in my undies & socks" Sneaky Sandy himself...
I think this is a tempest in a teapot...RR was probably just bitter...and knew he faced a legal fight for the buyout, so he shredded anything he thought might be used against him...
Bevo Boy said:
posted on January 15, 2008 4:12 PM — 64.12.116.136 — link — abuse?
Or maybe RR was just having his players mine for the treasure of D.B. Cooper (Without a Paddle) but he didn't watch Prisonbreak to find out that the treasure was actually buried under a silo at the Double K Ranch just outside of Tooele, Utah.
posted on January 15, 2008 4:18 PM — link — abuse?Kevin Donahue
said:
Did I say steroids? I didn't say steroids, did I? I hope I didn't say steroids. I certainly wouldn't think that a school would have players using steroids. Why would anyone in the world think steroids? Steroids? Hmph.
Potentially probably not in any way related - this.
Ramblin' Gator said:
posted on January 15, 2008 4:54 PM — 74.185.133.40 — link — abuse?
#11: TE, oddly enough I'm a registered independent too. But I know that congress asked the Bush administration to produce 6+ years of email and other electronic documentation from Karl Rove, Dick Cheney, et al. To date, the response has been, "email? What email?" Maybe you've also heard about the destroyed CIA torture tapes?
Perhaps there was no paper involved in the Whitehouse's confetti party, so call it "digital shredding".
I'm not an attorney, but as an inventor, I work with a lot of attorneys. They are always beating on me to save records of everything until the instant they are no longer required (usually by the government) and then they become a liability. The fact that the WVU's football team cannot find any of its records is definitely not a good omen for WVU, Rich Rod, or Michigan.
Mr. McAteer said:
posted on January 15, 2008 4:57 PM — 129.71.42.233 — link — abuse?
Kevin
you didn't mention anything about steroids that was Zac
i honestly don't believe there would "juice" going around the football team
if there was one thing rich rod did besides take WVU to a whole new level is that he ran a clean ship
he suspended those who acted out and there were never any type of scandals or infractions
Spartacus
posted on January 15, 2008 5:40 PM — 71.103.218.167 — link — abuse? said:
Well, I'll go ahead and say steroids. That my be why I lost so much dinero on the Oklahoma game. I can't for the life of me understand how a team that recruits players that are ranked about 40th in the nation - can play at that level. That OL looked like the best in the country.
Fact is, in all fairness, alot of these players all over the country are hittin' roids'. It's really no mistery. It is kinda strange that the guy would make it into a "situation" though. I can't even believe that the NCAA would care at all - with the kinda dough that college football is pullin' in. When was the last time somebody was kicked out of school for getting "all blown up"? I'm more inclined to think that this guy is somehow trying to undermine future success at West Virginia. Or, quite possibly, the new Head Coach wanted everything removed from the campus (because he knows of the improprieties). Bottom line: nothing ever becomes of it and all azzez are spared.Tommie Trojan
Diggs the Mountie said:
posted on January 15, 2008 6:11 PM — 76.114.222.200 — link — abuse?
Kevin,
You are WAY OFF on the "A" and "B" answers you gave for the reason as to why they did it?
BTW, how's the Academics holding up at Florida St.?
Here's the right answer: He did it to "hurt" our Program and OUR players as much as he possibly could before he left for good. He's a Fraud... that Dickie fella.
wvu_lifer,
Do me a favor and never post here again...you're an embarrassment to College Football blogs and WVU Fans in general. Get your facts straight before you come on here rambling about what your cousin's brothers sister told you.
posted on January 15, 2008 6:19 PM — link — abuse? said:
@Diggs - Going low with me the academics right out of the gate? Sheez! ;) That's OK. I'm a big boy. I can take it. As I said on the original post, the guys involved are getting what they deserve.
@All - #13 is very tongue-in-cheek. SOMETHING isn't right with this story. If it turns out that it was/is steroids, then maybe RR did WVU a favor with his shred-gate.
Diggs the Mountie said:
posted on January 15, 2008 6:23 PM — 76.114.222.200 — link — abuse?
Kev,
I was genuinely concerned?;) Ehh, you asked for it:)
Anyway, seriously.....I don't feel that steroids is even remotely a possibility here.
FWIW, There's a lott stuff flying around at this point and "a-lot" of people feel that he has done this for nothing more than "spite".
That being said, I hope he just cut off his nose!
wvu_lifer
posted on January 15, 2008 7:50 PM — 75.109.107.108 — link — abuse? said:
@ #17 Diggs, Say what?? My cousins brothers sister, brother it sounds like you live in southern W.Va. The reports of his families house and his niece were all over the news here in this state. Say, where were you the night(s) this has happened? Sounds like R2 has you a tad bitter!
No need for sophmoric name calling. As far as an embarrasment to College FB and WVU fans eveywhere,unlike most fans, i follow everything about my team and my state. If you can't pick up a newspaper and read........then maybe you sir, should get your facts straight b4 more R2 rantings!!
Hillbilly Bubba said:
posted on January 15, 2008 7:52 PM — 72.71.113.81 — link — abuse?
Bravo Ramblin Gator! Does Ollie North live in the vincinty of WVU? We may be looking at a WVU-Conta scandal.
And TE, I hardly think shredding volumes of documents from the university you just resigned from is just "a tempest in a teapot"!
wvu-togo said:
posted on January 15, 2008 8:00 PM — 74.46.213.21 — link — abuse?
Kev #13
This may be your site but I have never seen such an attemp to stir up Unsubstantiated controversy by using the term "steroids" in my entire life. I'm sure that Noel Devine @ 5'8" #170, Pat White 6'1" 195, Steve Slaton 5'9" 185 were on steroids. They say that by saying somthing three times it really sinks into peoples minds. Head-on-applied directly to the forehead, Head-on- applied directly to the forehead etc.
This sucks and hurts innocent players if not the whole team!
wvu-togo said:
posted on January 15, 2008 8:16 PM — 74.46.213.21 — link — abuse?
Could it be just possible that Rod feels he built this team (and he did) and he thinks the next coach should do the same without his help?
I have no love for coach Rod or the way Rod left but I also don't think there is reason to jump to conclusions.
Zac said:
posted on January 15, 2008 8:36 PM — 64.12.116.136 — link — abuse?
YO!!! EVERYBODY, TIME-OUT, and I mean NOW!!!
I, in an apparent poor attempt at tongue & cheek said the dreaded "S-Word". It wasn't Kevin; it wasn't wvu_lifer; it was ME and only ME.
THE BUCK STOPS HERE!!!
Now, I don't know, and I certainly don't expect that steroids are involved. I sure as hell don't know why Rich Rodriquez would pull such a stupid stunt as to destroy state property. He may not have realized it, but in effect, that's what he did. WVU's football team belongs to WVU; WVU belongs to the state of WV; ergo everything belonging to WVU belongs to WV. Whatever the motive, we are talking a criminal act. If this goes to the courts, and IF he is found guilty, we are not talking a $4 M buy-out. We are talking jail time. That's pretty serious.
Don't blame Kevin regarding the steroids BS; blame me. Understand; it was only BS, but I'm sill to blame. Nuff said.
wvu_lifer
posted on January 15, 2008 8:48 PM — 75.109.107.108 — link — abuse? said:
#29 They are so poor that........, well they let RR walk out over some seriously minor issues. They "forced" him out. Then, they managed to lose several TOP boosters in the progress. I really am tired of RR, i wish he would go away. You are correct, no need to jump to soon, but where do you think we should look?
As for the "He built it" thing. Do you think Nehlen left him in that kind of mess?Tomcat said:
posted on January 15, 2008 8:51 PM — 69.153.80.147 — link — abuse?
Wow #27 You really never know, joking or not our soceity is very suspisious.To stir the imagination of a teed-off fan base is no big deal.
Congrats on yalls win, yall beat the Sooners
Missu had two shots at them
Adios Tomcat
hookemDiggs the Mountie said:
posted on January 15, 2008 8:53 PM — 76.114.222.200 — link — abuse?
WVU_lifer,
You're so misinformed, that it's "almost" laughable. However, rather than enlighten you to the real world of WVU Athletics, I'll just sit back and smile at the ignorance you display here.
Poor ADMIN? All of our Sports (including womens) have "historicaly" never been better. But nevermind the facts... right?Trust me I was a believer in the poor athletic dept. theory for a while myself. However, I was shown the error of my ways by facts.
Now, I'm not going to go into anything too deep here as far as our ADMIN's performance but do you even know that our ADMIN offered Mike Barwis MORE money to stay than ANY school has EVER offered a S&C Coach in the history of College Football? Did you know that our "new" Staff (once everyone is in place) will be most likely in the top 3 in the Nation if not the #1 in the Nation as far as paychecks are concerned?(By that last statement I mean as far as assistants are concerned)
Remind me how this is the ADMINS fault 1 more time?
Here's what most likely happened concerning Shred-Gate:Looks like he destroyed or tried to destroy all records of anything he did his entire 7 yrs at WVU. Trying to put aside anything he was trying to hide about Camp money, Booser money, etc., I'll address the player files only.
RR destroyed those player files back when he thought the new coach was going to be a NEW COACH coming from another school, not Stew, and an entirely new staff.
The prick probably didn't want the new coach to have any idea the background of each current player, nor all the recruits that RR had been following/recruiting that were interested in WVU.
Basically he wanted to make it as hard as possible for the new coach to actually BUILD upon his success, especially in recruiting.
Anyway, keep sippin that "newspaper" Kool-Aid that Rodriguez is serving you. You obviously like it, or him. Either way it's disgusting.
Diggs the Mountie said:
posted on January 15, 2008 8:58 PM — 76.114.222.200 — link — abuse?
wvu_lifer,
Please, stop it! You have no clue WTF you're talking about!
We may have lost 1 yes 1 booster. His name is Ken Kendrick. BTW, do you realize he still hasn't ponied up on the last 3 of his pleadges to WVU yet? Did you? Ya know....know the facts?
Also, did you know that with this new Staff re-arrangement that WVU has gained back 3 count it 3 of its former Boosters that Rich Rodriguez had run off?
I laugh at you......"French-like".wvu_lifer
posted on January 15, 2008 9:11 PM — 75.109.107.108 — link — abuse? said:
34 And "I fart in your general direction". Riddle me this, If they offered him so much money, why isn't he(Barwis) still a staff member? Did ya now we lost 6 count em 6 top boosters, woohoo...hope those 3 we got back can pony up!! Yeah, i know a little. A little more than you. Here, start slow,
www.msnsportsnet.comThen progress as you grow!!
Diggs the Mountie said:
posted on January 15, 2008 9:12 PM — 76.114.222.200 — link — abuse?
wvu_lifer,
I almost forgot....yes, Nehlen did leave a mess for Dickie.
As much as I hate Dickie now. I got to give it to him with the "he built us up" thing. He did.
Here's Nehlen's record from 1994 on up to 2000.
1994 he went (7-6; 4-3)
1995 he went (5-6; 4-3)
1996 he went (8-4; 4-3)
1997 he went (7-5; 4-3)
1998 he went (8-4; 5-2)
1999 he went (4-7; 3-4)
2000 he went (7-5; 3-4)
But nevermind the facts.......Oh yeah, Do I even need to remind you of Nehlens Bowl record?
Ahhh I just cannot not say it....He if I recall he's 3-8....
I don't really like to knock Nehlen....
However, I had to use him to show you AGAIN just how WRONG you are.Diggs the Mountie said:
posted on January 15, 2008 9:18 PM — 76.114.222.200 — link — abuse?
wvu_lifer,
If you can't name them (the boosters)or at least post a link then you're post carries 0 credibility.
BTW, it's not a riddle.....Barwis left because he's a Dick Fraudriguez kinda guy. Don't ask me why he is.... he just is.wvu_lifer
posted on January 15, 2008 9:19 PM — 75.109.107.108 — link — abuse? said:
Ok, do you understand what i meant by a mess or are you just that ignorant? Maybe he did leave him an "avg" team, and yes he did build the program into a power. That has nothing to do with stealing and shredding state property.
Well, at least Nehlen coached his bowl games and no, he did not leave the program or the state "a mess"!!Diggs the Mountie said:
posted on January 15, 2008 9:21 PM — 76.114.222.200 — link — abuse?
wvu-togo,
Yes, I believe they truly are as well. However, you'll always have the RR kinda guys like wvu-lifer who know of nothing other than the way Dickie feels at the moment.
This staff is becoming very impressive.....wvu_lifer
posted on January 15, 2008 9:27 PM — 75.109.107.108 — link — abuse? said:
Excuse me, i'm no RR man, I'm a WVU man!! I did post a link, so you can have your much needed "credibility", did you not see it? I didn't say our admin isn't working hard to right the ship, but the Captain was and still is EP, so who steered the ship towards shallow waters? Holy crap, i actually agree with Diggs, yes our staff is coming along very well. 3 spots to fill last i heard. "Doc" was a great snag, plus he knows he will be the next HC at WVU someday
Diggs the Mountie said:
posted on January 15, 2008 9:35 PM — 76.114.222.200 — link — abuse?
wvu_lifer,
That's not a link to the boosters.Mountaineer SportsNet does not ever post that kind of info about the program. So stop the stalling.
Name them or post a link to an article containing the names of the 6 boosters we lost. Otherwise you're blowing hot air.....it's really simple you know? Name them or provide a link to an article.
No more stalling.....wvu_lifer
posted on January 16, 2008 12:01 AM — 75.109.107.108 — link — abuse? said:
Ok, Diggs.......i have the names.
First, i would like to "elighten you" to a few more things. You said "All of our Sports (including womens) have "historicaly" never been better". Is that why our swimming coach left to coach at a high scool in Fla.? Is that why Rod bolted? Yes, womens bball and soccer have improved greatly. We have always had strong wrestling and rifle teams. Baseball has never really been more than mediocre. Oh, yeah.........that old bball coach who everyone loved left too. Yeah, AD is doing great.Last, please, please never jump on a man like he doesn't know what he is saying. Do your research first, like me.
Whenever you're done reading this you can go back to sleep in your little world.Actually, i could only get four official names. However, if you read the attached quote, you will see how the number six was derived, mmmmkay?
Dean Hartley, Bob Reynolds, your man Kendrick and Whit Babcock (Head of the Mountaineer Athletic Club)"I've had calls from at least six major contributors to the program, and they're all done [donating] because they know the Mickey Mouse things that have gone on there," Mr. Reynolds continued. "I've been in business 36 years, and it's the worst business decision I've ever seen. I've been the COO of a 45,000-person company. When somebody's producing, you ask, 'What can I do for you to make your life better?' Not 'What can I do to make your life more miserable?' They have no idea how big this is. It's frightening."
Oh, still waitin' on the 3 we "got back"??
No stalling, or 0 cred for you!!!!!!!!!wvu_lifer
posted on January 16, 2008 1:12 AM — 75.109.107.108 — link — abuse? said:
Ok, maybe now that i have given Diggs the credibilty he asked for, or as i call it: Preporation-H. He will shrivle up, go away and stop being a pain in my a$$!! I know i'm not on here much, unless it pertains to WVU Football, but i NEVER expected to be attacked by another "supposed" WVU fan. I follow them daily, nightly, it's sad but true. I live for WVU Football and Pittsburgh Penguin hockey, and i know them VERY well.
So, may we please get back on topice here?
What if he did this crap? I'm pretty sure he or someone on HIS staff is responsible, yet i believe the whole innocent till proven guilty thing. Trust me, i'm pretty sure he's guilty.So now what do we do? Sending him to jail would be the ultimate "instant karma"!! We just need to prove it. What's everyone else think?
M GO BLUE said:
posted on January 16, 2008 9:36 AM — 216.46.213.139 — link — abuse?
......Ok let's just pretend that maybe the files were....were actually.....dare i say it?......HIS!......And a file on Pat White does ZERO good at michigan...........now i will say it was not very thoughtfull of him because now the new staff will have to make all new file's......BUT! Lloyd Carr will be watching over RR's shoulder.....there will be no steroids at Michigan.
Tommie T looks like some good Big Ten vs Pac Ten matchup's this year.
Ohio State at USC
Michigan state at Cal
Oregon at purdue
Oregon state at Penn statemy prediction 2-2
posted on January 16, 2008 10:46 AM — link — abuse? said:
Rich Rodriguez agent has responded to the allegations that Coach Rod may have been involved in the shredding.
But Rodriguez's agent, Mike Brown, told the Free Press that his client did not take any "individual player files" and could not be the sole holder of sensitive information
"He may have received copies," Brown said. "But I would sure hope the originals of those are in West Virginia's compliance office. If they do not have that information, they have serious institutional control issues."
Brown also took issue with the Gazette's accretion that because files were missing from the weight room office, no records existed from the strength and conditioning program run by Mike Barwis. The Gazette reported the files "even included pictures of the players at different points in their careers."
"Every time Mike Barwis did any evaluation sessions, all of the assistant coaches got a copy of the report," Brown said. "So Bill Stewart and the other remaining coaches should have copies."
Stewart, Rodriguez's former associate head coach and special teams coordinator, was promoted to head coach after the Fiesta Bowl. Barwis and four members of his staff joined Rodriguez in Ann Arbor.
"Also," Brown said, "Mike Barwis did not take pictures of the players at different stages of their career."
To paraphrase his agent - it wasn't Coach Rod in the Study with a candlestick... and WVU should be keeping better records anyway.
Eye of the Tiger said:
posted on January 16, 2008 11:59 AM — 138.163.0.41 — link — abuse?
If the records were personal records that Rod was keeping then where is the crime? He can do what he wants. If this is the case I think his agent is right and that WVU should keep better records. While the whole thing does seem pretty shady if the records were his maybe he just felt like pissing some people off at WVU. Rod wins the pissing match in this battle.
BayouBengal said:
posted on January 16, 2008 12:12 PM — 72.149.254.106 — link — abuse?
It all sounds personal to me.....if whats being said is true!
....and we all thought Saban was a jerk for his decision making last year!
It seems as if ole Rich Rod has sold his soul to the Devil for taking the Michigan job! (the Devil will come to collect.....just ask Ben Rothlisberger!)
From here on out he is going to have to deal with Lucifer stopping by unannounced.....to take from Rich, what ever it may be!
The devil has already begun to collect apparently!
1)Ryan Mallet leaves Mich for Arkansas: (even though this was expected b/c he doesn't fit the spread offensive mold Rich runs.....but still!)
2)Rich is now in the middle of this WVU player file dealio.....which could turn out ugly if the hear say is true!
3)The biggest hit he might take though.....is failing to land the nations #1 highschool prospect! (dual threat QB Terrell Pryor)
Rivals.com reports: Terrell Pryor is making an official visit to LSU on Jan 25 to wrap up his colleg visits. Word is.....Pryor likes what LSU's o-cord Crowton did for Dixon at Oregon and also likes what he plans to continue to do at LSU!
LSU started recruiting Pryor after he made a statement saying, he wished Miles and LSU would have contacted him, b/c he would of liked to followed his friend and fellow 5 star recruit Patrick Johnson to LSU!
To add to the Pryor talk.....apparently Ohio St is lobbying hard for him also....b/c Tressel is claiming he will revamp the OSU offense to favor a dual threat QB!
How much will Pryor like LSU or Ohio St is still up in the air.....but all the talk has to make Rich Rod a little nervous!
wvu_lifer
posted on January 16, 2008 3:07 PM — 75.109.107.108 — link — abuse? said:
@ #47 "ENROD", now that is truely classic! I almost laughed till i cried!! Glad to see we're back on topic as well. Why couldn't he just go quietly? How is Coach Stew going to be able to contact any recruit RR has in his files. I've read on rivals where several prospects "are still interested in WVU, they just have not been contacted by them". This is going to sting for a while!
FanoftheGame said:
posted on January 16, 2008 3:58 PM — 198.211.223.194 — link — abuse?
Surely, the WVU athletic department didn't allow ONLY Coach RR to track and record all of this missing information, to include all the financial records regarding the football program. If WVU allowed a head football coach complete control all of the missing information, then they deserve for something like this to occur.
It's just a hunch, but maybe the powers that be at WVU might want to check on a computer somewhere. Computers have gotten so popular that some athletic programs are using them in a number of ways. I'm not sure if WVU has any of them, but it might be worth looking there as well. Hard drives don't tend to shred very easily in office paper shredders.Jeff said:
posted on January 16, 2008 5:42 PM — 12.188.148.226 — link — abuse?
I'll quantify what I'm saying by firstly announcing that I'm a Michigan fan & I may be biased in all of this....
But when (here's a word)...LOGIC...is applied to this...
We're talking about record keeping here.
Does ANYONE on this site work for someone that would allow you to be the sole record keeper at your place of employment??
Answer that & then apply said logic to this situation...
If RR was allowed to keep autonomous records at WVU, then they truly get what the hell they deserve. No two ways about it. That would be an institutional error in my opinion.
If he shredded documents, so be it. I wouldn't leave all my hard work around for the next guy to get by easier than what I did--especially at a place that didn't get me the tools necessary for us to go to the next level.
Memo to new coach: Do your own work.
P.S- In the name of the 1960's, who in the hell keeps PAPER records anymore?? I would leave that school too. Can't even get my records on a jump drive?? Instead of spending all that money on new facilities, they should have stopped by their local Dell dealer. WalMart even.....wvu_lifer
posted on January 16, 2008 8:28 PM — 75.109.107.108 — link — abuse? said:
@ #60 Jeff, Its's ok, sometimes biased is another word for clueless to the BIG PICTURE!
Let's look at FACT:
1) He's accused of shredding school documents. As it has been pointed out on this thread. That means he destroyed STATE documents.2) Why are you defending a man who said this 2 days ago: "I know the song(Victors), but i'm not gonna sing it for you. I've been studying a bit, i'll get there. That's not important to me. The tradition of UM will always be here, but i'm here to do things differently." "The Victors", not important.
Sorry to say but you got a good coach, with no morals or decency. As to the "New Coach: Do your own work" comment. Did Carr do anything of the sort?
Also, as far as the admin goes, i actually agree with you. Sure wish Diggs would see though the smoke!
Jeff said:
posted on January 16, 2008 11:22 PM — 12.188.148.226 — link — abuse?
#61 wvu_lifer... It's cool. I'm good with being a bit clueless sometimes. Makes life a bit less redundant...
In rebuttal to your #1:
If these are "ORIGINALS", then punish him to the fullest extent of the law. That being said, I find it hard to believe, once again, that these documents, in hard copy format mind you, are nothing more than copies.
In rebuttal to your #2:
I've never defended him. I've simply applied logic to the issue. Could he be a snake in the grass?? Of course he could. Time will tell. I'm simply giving my opinion on the topic of shredding documents "alleged" to be school documents.
As for Carr, even mentioning him in this topic is irrevelant. There's no correlation.
And my "memo" to the new coach?? It is what it is. A little bit of tongue in cheek, but nevertheless true. Honestly, I don't think that RR would have done all that if Stewart was the HC at the time. Those documents, if he doesn't have them already, would have been handed over. RR did that in the mindset of a new coach coming in from the outside. Hardly a big deal IMO.
wvu_lifer
posted on January 17, 2008 1:29 AM — 75.109.107.108 — link — abuse? said:
62, Jeff. What i meant was, did Carr leave him an empty office with no leads, or recruiting lists? No, He is a class act!
I too find it hard to believe that RR had the only copies of his players' academic, conditioning and so on records. A university wouldn't be so foolish, would they?
I've said it before and i'll say it again, I'm glad he's gone, let's move on!!
Now, as a Michigan fan, you must have an opinion of R2? What do you think so far? Do you believe he should learn the words to "The Victors", like he stated he knew and didn't Know in the same sentence? When asked about Mallett transfering, his response "Don't care"! I guess what i'm really getting at is, Are you ready to win at any cost, even if it means foregoing your tradition, ethics and morals? If so, you have the man for the job.
Back on topic, yeah if those were the originals, he's in some deep, uh, er hot water! Look forward to your reply. Peace
wvu_lifer
posted on January 17, 2008 5:43 AM — 75.109.107.108 — link — abuse? said:
13-Kevin........awesome. Wikepedia is awesome, and that is the best way to solve all of this mess. Where did you dig that up?
I have a whole new respect for your intelligence level. Plus, from what i've seen, You've no problem admitting to a mistake or when you're wrong. Unlike many other posters.
Keep up the good work.
PeaceFanoftheGame said:
posted on January 17, 2008 10:03 AM — 198.211.223.194 — link — abuse?
I see that Coach RR's agent made no mention about his use of the WVU issued cell phone that RR used to call Michigan recruits while still employed at WVU.
In the long run, I think WVU will be better off without Benedict Rodriguez.Jeff said:
posted on January 17, 2008 5:04 PM — 12.188.148.226 — link — abuse?
#63, wvu_lifer...
I understand what you mean. I think, however, that Carr's exit & his handling of his records, etc., is of a different species. Carr retired, and is still a part of our program. He still has an office in Schembechler Hall, just as his mentor did before him. So to shred documents would be crippling to what he's still part of (in a sense).
Conversely, RR is no longer part of WVU's program. So, in his mind at the time, he's thinking "Why should I give away trade secrets, make life easier for the next guy? No one did it for me." Was it a butthole move?? Probably. I'll just call it like I see it. Should he have handed some things over?? Yes. Helped with the continuity of the program?? Yep. Simply be the bigger person?? Yes. Do these things make his a devil's spawn?? No. Maybe a bit of bad blood on the way out?? I'd say so. But it's water under the bridge now & to keep harping on it like some WVU fans are only fuels the public perception of WV people, and it's not in a good light. It comes off as sour grapes.
My opinion of him?? So far, I'd say that I like his aggression, his apparent drive to make his mark, and he's hit the ground running on things that I (along with many other fans) have been calling for years ago. He's brought a fresh perspective, a youthful exuberance that we haven't seen here...probably ever. We're a traditional powerhouse, a storied program that's the winningest ever. That being said, our program had grown stale. 10 wins, an OSU loss & a bowl game fiasco kind of does that to you over time. Am I calling him a saint?? Absolutely not. He could be a slick car salesman for all I know. But if he wins?? And does it without any NCAA violations & runs a clean program?? I'll take a prick of a coach any day. He's here to win games. He's here to manage young men within a football program, attached posthumously to an academic institution. They didn't bring him here to make sure football players go to class. Academic advisors do just fine with that. He's here to win & if he ruffles some feathers, I say--ruffle the hell out of 'em. It's time somebody did it. I'm not worried about him sidestepping our tradition, morals & ethics within our program. Anything less will get him shipped out on the same plane we chartered for him to come in here.
As for Mallett & RR's response to his transfer. What's to it?? They asked him about Mallett (as I understand it) and his impending transfer. RR stated: "Don't care. All I care about is who's on OUR team. He (Mallett) made the best decision for him & we wish him well." Straight to the point. Why be PC about it?? He met with the kid 3 times. He told him that the offense had been adjusted to fit his personnel before. He basically re-recruited the kid. What else do you have to do?? Bring him flowers?? Just like WVU had to move on, RR had to move on. We've got other issues to resolve.
Go blue!!
SilverBulletD
posted on January 17, 2008 7:19 PM — 24.145.161.40 — link — abuse? said:
I have to be honest, I could care less what RR has done to WVU, I just hope that Tressel comes up with a defense that can stop his style of offense.
I am surprised that this whole thing has gone the direction it has gone. This is his alma mater, the place he played football, the place he met his wife, how do you no care about it at all the way he has?
I do agree that both parties need to move on at this point. If he has done something illegal or a violation it will be found and taken care of. I hope that he does have to pay the 4 mil., but you know Michigan and their boosters will help him take care of that.
Money is really what makes the world go round. Blood may be thicker than water, but money is thicker than blood apparently.
GO BUCKS!!
Buckeye Hunter said:
posted on January 17, 2008 11:46 PM — 68.43.249.203 — link — abuse?
its so obvious that wvu is trying to smear coach rods image, all those files that were allegedly "destroyed" have backups, and if they dont then it just shows how un professional and unclassy wvu is. Once this clears up everyone will see how shady wvu and the people of wv are. the anonymous source that spoke with the charleston gazette is not credible, in fact, the paper itself is not even credible.
wvu_lifer
posted on January 18, 2008 2:39 AM — 75.109.107.108 — link — abuse? said:
Jeff, 66 Oh, i only saw a "snippit" of his answer, my bad! Slick car salesman, maybe. One heck of a football coach, no doubt.
That's what get me, the people of W.Va (at least i or most i've spoken too) aren't accusing him of anything. The school is. That's between him, the lawyers and the University. My only concern with our program right now is, who the heck is going to be our OC. Stew has put together an awesome staff. I'm not out to trash anyone or thier University, i'm just standing up for my states people(not the school admin). Both sides have been deviant und ugly. I don't want any part of that, i'm just a fan of the sport and a proud WVU fan.
To the West Virginians who are destroying Rods private propety, calling death threats harrasing relatives, well you probably can't read. However, if you come upon this, GROW UP!!
One last thing, i've stated before, IF UM is 2-3 years patient w/ R2, he will bring you another NC. If 2 or 3 losses to the Bucks and Sparty are too much, then, uh.........sorry. His style of play is hard to adjust too if you're used to something else. We waited, it paid off.wvu_lifer
posted on January 18, 2008 3:04 AM — 75.109.107.108 — link — abuse? said:
65 Fan, Wow, i thought i knew pretty much everything that's been going on. It's documented that R2 used a WVU phone to call UM recruits while on our payroll? Now that is a violation.
Oh, Jeff one more thing. Nehlen stuck around to help RR out. He didn't go it alone his first few years. But, Nehelen was a Michigan man, so i would expect no less. He's the reason our uniform colors resemble yours............ the highest form of flattery!
Jeff said:
posted on January 18, 2008 10:47 PM — 12.188.148.226 — link — abuse?
#71-wvu_lifer: That was a classy move by Nehlen to do that. I would expect that of a Michigan man. I did read that somewhere about the colors, too. That's flattery at it's best!!!
As for the recruits he called on his WVU phone. If I'm not mistaken, weren't they also WVU recruits?? It's my understanding that these kids were considering both schools, so RR could easily say that his calls to them were "officially" as WVU coach, informing them that he would be leaving. What's the harm in that??
wvu_lifer
posted on January 19, 2008 12:03 AM — 75.109.107.108 — link — abuse? said:
72 Jeff, good question? I do not know who he contacted. However, Terrell Pryor was coming to WVU, and now he doesn't know where he's going. If they were WVU recruits, and this is strictly my opinion, he probably did some UM selling to them on our time.
So, Zac would be correct, per the norm.
As for as the whole shred-gate thing. I'm beginning to believe our admin is still trying to hurt him. Those "files" probably weren't pertinant to anyone but him. All student files are stored on hard drives, we know that! This is a mess. All i wanna know is who our next OC will be, anyone have any info??Jeff said:
posted on January 21, 2008 6:11 PM — 12.188.148.226 — link — abuse?
#73-Zac... Insider trading?? That's funny... We're not talking Martha Stewart here. This is about a coach making a phone call to a recruit. A recruit of BOTH schools. Whether he made any comments or suggestions about following him here cannot be substantiated. Why?? Did TP say that RR coerced him to consider coming here?? I think not. All you can go on is what the kid said & that's that RR told him of his move here. Any thing else would be speculation at best. Is it not ALSO safe to say that if RR impressed him so much as to even CONSIDER Morgantown, TP would be impressed enough to follow him to a bigger & better program that he doesn't even have to "sell"??
Once again, I'm not defending him. All I'm doing is playing devil's advocate & all the circumstantial "evidence" being put out there is no more than rhetoric.
Zac said:
posted on January 21, 2008 7:02 PM — 64.12.116.136 — link — abuse?
Jeff, it's all good; no worries mate. As I had said earlier, I wasn't entirely certain. Even if it could be proven that he asked the kid to follow him to MI, I don't know that such a move constitutes breaking the law. Hence, my suggestion, if it did, it might fall under the same laws which address insider trading.
Josh Jenkins, a 5-Star lineman out of Parkersburg, has also reconsidered since Rich Rodriguez decided to take the job at MI. Oddly, however, he's not considering the Wolverines; he's looking at OSU. It's just a shame that WVU started attracting some of these kids, and with this mess, some have decided to reconsider. The win over OK has helped some, but to what extent, like everything else, I don't know.
Please note that all comments are subject to the Fanblogs Comment Policy.
OU-Ron
said:
posted on January 15, 2008 1:57 PM — 216.201.209.146 — link — abuse?This sounds like it will take Zac to write another story about this one...sounds like there was a Rat in them thar hills.....