Talk:Rich Rodriguez

Selection as Alabama coach still a rumor

The article has been prematurely edited to show Rich Rodruiguez as Alabama's coach. While it pretends to include a "reference," the linked article is just a published rumor, and not even from a well-known source. No official statement has been made by either school, and no public knowledge of a signed contract exists. I am reverting the article, and it should continue to say WVU until any changes are TRULY announced at 3:00 P.M. today. (Besides, the changes made weren't even well-done) Aerodave 01:13, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

• Not a rumor any more [1]. I 100% agree that rumors are bad ... and the article should not say he is the "current" Bama HC since he obviously is not ... but this looks like a legitimate media source. BigDT 02:52, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

"two sources close to the search" sounds like it's still a rumor to me. Note that the Birmingham News has been wrong about basically everything they've printed (Spurrier rumors, etc) since thanksgiving. --68.84.102.249 03:51, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

At least one other source - [2] - has picked up on the report. I don't know ... I'm inclined to believe a mainstream media report. If it were a blog ... ok ... dismiss it. Still, though ... I remember in 2000 when Beamer to UNC was a done deal and all of the media were reporting it. We all know how that worked out. If any established user changes it back, I won't revert it ... but I'm inclined to leave it as is unless something refuting the report comes out. BigDT 04:04, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

An article in the Charleston Gazette disputes the report above. Also, given that no contract has been signed, and the deal has not been publicly confirmed by either Rich Rodriguez or the Alabama athletic department, I think it's premature to state as a matter of fact that he's the new Alabama coach, even if it may happen soon.--MogWV 04:06, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

ESPN SportsCenter just reported RichRod to Bama as fact, saying he has an agreement in principle to the deal. ESPN is about as reliable as it gets. BigDT 04:09, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Looks like the last article in the Gazette was taken down and replaced with this one confirming the agreement in principle.--MogWV 04:19, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Well, no matter how reputable the sources, there's no dispute that it's all still pending. Until WVU announces he's out, and until UA announces that he is officially the coach, it is unencyclopedic to report it as fact. Since a contract has not yet been signed he is NOT, in fact, the Tide's coach yet. To say he is the coach when the reports only say he will accept the position is obviously incorrect.

A section of this article that says that the situation is pending, that an offer has been made would be appropriate, and could be maintained as part of the biographical history no matter the outcome. But if it's still pending, and still speculation, it should be treated as such. Aerodave 04:54, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Well, ESPN has now reported on SportsCenter multiple times that RR is going to Alabama and that the paperwork is just a formality. However, the WV Gazette - http://www.wvgazette.com/section/103/200612081 - quotes RichRod as saying that he has made no decision and that the ESPN report was fiction ... so, no, it wasn't speculation - it was the best information we had at the time. However, now that RichRod has said it was a false report, I agree, leave it off. BigDT 15:08, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

• Looks like they got the deal done last night. [3] and [4] and

[5]...just waiting for UA or WVU to issue an official press statement. TronNDoE 17:55, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

ESPN radio said that he is considering a counter-offer. Maybe WVU is getting Beamered? BigDT 19:03, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Alabama papers report that he has. West Virginia papers reports that he hasn't. You have a classic conflict in sources. --TheFarix (Talk) 19:51, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Yeah ... I'm inclined to believe the WVU version at the moment simply because (1) they are more recent and (2) they actually quote RichRod rather than "sources". At any rate, it's all going to be over with very soon so I suggest that we leave the article as is for now. There is a good version that has everything changed to Bama that we can instantly revert to should something firm come out. BigDT 19:57, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

ESPN radio now reporting he's officially staying. Sorry Bama. You got Beamered. BigDT 20:13, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Yes, he's staying.

The idea that he had agreed to the Alabama job in principle has not been proven, and was denied by RichRod himself. I'm removing that section, as it infers he reneged on a deal.

Deleting comments from the talk page

The user that blanked this Talk page shouldn't have. I'm not saying this section shouldn't one day be removed. But while the Alabama drama is still fresh news, it's important to keep a record of this discussion. At the very least, people will wonder why the article has restricted editing, and this discussion will help. Aerodave 23:31, 8 December 2006 (UTC)

Actually, it's not acceptable to remove comments form article talk pages under any circumstances unless it is to remove personal attacks, archive old comments on the talk page, or the commenter removes his own comments to save face. --TheFarix (Talk) 00:15, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

General discussion about a topic unrelated to writing an encyclopedia can be removed at any time. (I'm not offering a commentary on whether this removal met that standard, but this isn't a message board and removal is not limited to the circumstances you gave.) --B (talk) 17:16, 18 December 2007 (UTC)

Is Rich Rodriguez really hispanic? Just because he has the last name "Rodriguez", that doesn't mean he is hispanic. I'd like to see that sentence removed or see a citation. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.28.196.240 (talk) 22:03, 3 December 2007 (UTC)

I am certain that Rich Rodriguez is NOT Hispanic. There was some fanfare last year when Mario Cristobal was hired at FIU that he was the first and only I-A Hispanic head coach. In fact, this New York Times article mentions that: http://www.nytimes-institute.com/OLD_SITE/2007_Miami/2007_miami/10players.html —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.129.123.200 (talk) 17:07, 18 December 2007 (UTC)

His family is originally from Spain, which is not Hispanic (that term is properly used only for the people of Mexico, Latin America, etc.). --B (talk) 17:16, 18 December 2007 (UTC)

Hispanic is a term that can mean different things depending on who uses it. According to the wikipedia article Hispanic the official US Government definition for census purposes is "a person of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race." Clearly that includes Spain. I also located an interview where he discusses being a Hispanic head coach (http://content.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=7256), so he does self identify that way. Maracle (talk) 01:43, 23 January 2008 (UTC)

Girl Scouts?? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.107.137.101 (talk) 07:16, 29 December 2007 (UTC)

Comment from anon

WVU has not sued Rodriguez. The action is what is known as a Declaratory Action which is a request of the court to deem the existing contract to be valid. In this action no damages are sought and no suit is brought. A law suit cannot be filed until after January 19, 2008 assuming the $1.33 million installment payment is not made as part of the liquidated damages clause contained in the employment contract. (DA)

They've amended their complaint to include breach of contract now that the deadline for his first payment has passed. Maracle (talk) 02:10, 23 January 2008 (UTC)

Recruiting fund

Several references have been added recently to an issue regarding the use of money from a recruiting fund for private air travel (http://www.register-herald.com/sports/local_story_022232247.html). The references have implied that Rodriguez inappropriately used the funds for other purposes. The articles in fact state that it was the WVU Athletic Department that used the funds for other purposes over Rodriguez's objections. I just wanted to point this out since it has been inserted incorrectly twice now. This issue is covered in the section titled Contract Controversy at the moment. Maracle (talk) 21:48, 23 January 2008 (UTC)

You are correct. I think its important in all of this to maintain the perspective of bystander and not editorial writer. Burnsfessler (talk) 17:18, 26 January 2008 (UTC)

Buyout phrasing

While the phrase is accurate, I've never heard a buyout referred to as "liquidated damages." I've reverted this because I think it's clearer and because the media uniformly uses the word buyout. -TheMile (talk) 14:10, 8 February 2008 (UTC)

I respectfully disagree, so I put "liquidated damages" term back. The term is precisely accurate. That is how the contract itself refers to that particular paragraph. The term "buyout" is slang, and is misleading, in that it makes it sound like it is OK to breach a contract and buy your way out, which is clearly POV. Just because the media uses language loosely in referring to the clause does not mean that an encyclopedia should do the same. Cmichael (talk) 01:28, 9 February 2008 (UTC)

Since this is an article about a football coach, if so much weight is going to be placed on a contract dispute it seems to me that being as specific and accurate about the dispute as possible is the best way to handle it. Wikipedia's article on liquidated damages is actually very good and I think it helps a reader to understand the legal arguments on both sides just by reading the article summary (that it is a predetermined amount of damages for breaching a contract, and that courts will only order them to be paid to the extent actual damages occured). This seems to be a big part of what their dispute is about. Maracle (talk) 04:46, 9 February 2008 (UTC)

I've added a parenthetical note so that the article can remain accurate (per Cmichael) and so the people can relate this article to the media coverage (per TheMile). y'amer'can (wtf?) 13:47, 9 February 2008 (UTC)

Fair 'nuff. Cmichael (talk) 16:10, 9 February 2008 (UTC)

Larry Aschebrook

This section is convoluted and just plain inaccurate in some respects. I don't have time to fix it right now, and am leaving this note mostly as a reminder to myself to do so when I get a chance. If somebody else wants to work on it in the interim, my feelings wont be hurt <grin>. Cmichael (talk) 04:48, 20 May 2008 (UTC)

Cleanup of "Departure from WVU" section

I took out most of the details about the legal maneuvering during the lawsuit. It all seemed relevant when it was a current event, but now that its in the past, it seems to me to be unnecessary detail which doesn't belong in an encyclopedia. Cmichael (talk) 16:02, 9 October 2008 (UTC)

Somebody cut and pasted the details back. I just removed them again. If you feel this level of detail really needs to be in there, let's talk about it here, OK? Thanks. Cmichael (talk) 03:13, 13 October 2008 (UTC)

Glenville 1991 Season Record

There was some inconsistency in the Glenville section. It originally stated he went 1-7-1 in 1990, then 5-5 in 1991. Then stated 4-5-1 in 1991 in the very next sentence. I deleted the line stating he was 5-5 as 4-5-1 is the correct record, so there is now only one reference to the 1991 season record. Also changed the sentence structure slighty for better comprehension given all the n-dashes that were in the sentence with the record and aside. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.10.27.236 (talk) 02:32, 21 November 2008 (UTC)

Born in Chicago?

The article from MichiganToday, while it contains a few errors, is written by John Bacon who is a noted author and a reliable source. But aside from that, Rodriguez himself is the one talking about moving to West Virginia. Since most of the edits come from people who clearly joined Wikipedia just to edit this page, I'd like to point out that when we have a reliable source interviewing someone that takes precedence over anything else. For example, it's fact that he is from Grant Town, and without verification it's easy to assume he was born there. I was born in Encinitas, California and moved to Michigan when I was about 9 months old. Most people assume I was born in Michigan. --MichiganCharms (talk) 08:58, 22 November 2008 (UTC)

Did you actually witness this interview? Just because it has quote marks doesn't make it credible. I find the No Honeymoon article very suspect, it is full of incorrect information. I also find it odd that the AP, the University of Michigan's profile of Rodriguez when he was hired, West Virginia University's profile, the Detroit Free Press and ESPN would all say that his birthplace is Grant Town. -- Jnpmd (talk) 16:42, 22 November 2008 (UTC)

Like I said, John Bacon is a credible source. There are two major errors in the article, not exactly enough to call out the credibility of a best selling author who has been writing a feature on the team. WP:BLP is on my side. Provide me one credible source where Rodriguez himself states he was born in Grant Town. -MichiganCharms (talk) 22:16, 22 November 2008 (UTC)

Bacon may be credible, but the article is serious flawed. If you even admit that the article has major errors, why would you site it as a reliable source?