I hope that the allegations are either false or at the very least, embellished -- the ones that say that new U-M football coach Rodriguez destroyed file upon file at West Virginia regarding his football program. Sources report that Rodriguez was seen shredding documents in the football facility on December 18, one day after being introduced as Michigan's coach.
Lots of things have to be sorted out before we overreact (HA! As IF....). Like, for instance, the squarely biased feelings at WVA about Rodriguez's flight to Michigan in the first place. This has been one of the more rocky (to put it mildly) partings of a coach from a major university, and the university and its faithful are hardly blameless for that. Thus, credibility is at issue here over these reports. Also, if files were indeed destroyed, then to what extent? Maybe it was nothing more than a former employee getting rid of what he believed to be personal information.
WVA supporters, in a recent photo
What else needs to be dealt with is why Rodriguez would do such a thing to begin with. Why? What would be a motive? Clearly, it would seem that there's maybe something to hide, but what? Or was it an act of spite, of malice, in response to the highly personal means by which Mountaineer supporters reacted to "Coach Rod" leaving the mines?
Here's what's NOT an issue, though it will be portrayed as such: that the school should have backup files. Irrelevant. Yes, it would seem preposterous that WVA would only have single copies of everything that Rodriguez purportedly destroyed. But, that's kinda not the point here -- if he did it. That's a separate, internal issue that the university must contend with. It does not absolve Rodriguez of wrongdoing.
But I must say, that if there is some shred (no pun intended) of truth to these reports, and it turns out that this was done in some sort of clandestine manner, then it's extremely troubling. Michigan doesn't do things this way. No matter what you think of the program, or where your allegiance is, you have to allow for that. I'm hardly a U-M booster -- at times I've been very anti-Michigan, in fact -- but even in my most punitive moods, I could never agree that Michigan is an underhanded football program. And ask this question: can you even imagine outgoing coach Lloyd Carr being accused of something similar?
This might not be a George O'Leary or Wally Backman moment for Michigan, but it should at least be addressed if it turns out to have happened. (O'Leary of Notre Dame and Backman of the Arizona Diamondbacks were fired shortly after they were hired -- both for trumping up their resumes) This is big doings -- again, if it's true -- and to ignore it would make Michigan look worse than it already does for POSSIBLY hiring someone who doesn't do things above board. So far, nobody at U-M is talking. That's fine for now, as this story is still in its infancy. It won't be fine forever.
A "Michigan man" doesn't do the things that Rich Rodriguez is accused of doing. Then again, Michigan didn't hire a Michigan man; they hired a man they hope will function like a Michigan man.
Clearly, there can be a big distinction between the two types of folks. It's the risk you take when you hire from without.
2 comments:
Backman actually was fired for an alcohol–related offense, some financial problems, and a domestic abuse situation. Johnson, in Toronto, was fired for a resume altering experience.
C'mon - overreact much?
You might as well have strings attached to your limbs for a puppet dance, because you're doing exactly what the WVU athletic department wants you to do.
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