- Rich Fraud-riguez is at it again. This guy keeps proving how much of a classless a-hole he is and refuses to stop. Now he’s concocting a new lie to try and wriggle his way out of honoring the buyout clause in his contract with West Virginia University. Just a couple of days ago, it came out that more than two weeks after he was sued over a $4 million buyout clause in his contract at West Virginia, Rich Rodriguez turned in a second resignation letter, claiming university president Mike Garrison reneged on a deal to reduce and possibly eliminate that clause. The school is denying that such a promise was made. The letter obtained by The Associated Press and bearing Rodriguez's name is an indication of the strategy his legal defense will take when he files a response to that lawsuit in U.S. District Court. The deadline is Feb. 4. Fraud-riguez resigned with a one-sentence letter on Dec. 18 to take the coaching job at Michigan, with his latest feeble lie, er, letter dated Jan. 10. “President Garrison made no agreement to reduce or eliminate the buyout clause,” the university’s legal counsel told the AP. “The agreement between Mr. Rodriguez and the university is that which is set forth in the contract, and the terms of the contact are clear and unambiguous. And it's important to note that Mr. Rodriguez had the benefit of counsel representing him as well as a financial agent throughout the negotiations leading up to the signing of the contract." In other words, Fraud-riguez lawyer-ed up and doesn’t have any excuse for not honoring the deal he made. Thus, he’s now going to outright lying. The disintegration of the relationship between Fraud-riguez and the WVU athletic department is documented in a series of e-mails written over a five-month period and released under the West Virginia Freedom of Information Act. They show Fraud-riguez's agent, Mike Brown, fighting to get his client more operational and marketing control over the football program, and over money Rodriguez helped raise through a booster organization he founded. They also show Brown threatening to take his client elsewhere as early as mid-November. Then Fraud-riguez stunningly leapt at the Michigan job and refused to honor the $4 million buyout clause in his WVU deal. Thus, WVU sued Rodriguez for breach of contract Dec. 27.
In his latest letter, sent to athletic director Ed Pastilong, Rodriguez restates his displeasure with how slowly WVU was responding to additional demands he made in December 2006, when he passed up a $12 million deal at Alabama. They included allowing him to have his own Web site, an issue that raised possible legal concerns for the university. Right, because what’s more important, coaching your kids, running a great program and molding young men or making sure you have your own website to promote your own interests. In spite of all concerns, though, Fraud-riguez ultimately signed the new contract with WVU on Aug. 24, 2007. The university has acknowledged it planned (key word PLANNED) to reduce his buyout clause to $2 million in 2008, the Jan. 10 letter claims that Garrison told Rodriguez "he did not believe in buyouts" and might eliminate it entirely. A likely story, I’m sure. It doesn’t matter what the university INTENDED to do, and although I believe 101 percent that the promise to abolish the clause entirely is a lie, even if it was made, oral agreements are only as good as the paper they’re written on, Fraud-riguez. A noted liar like you should know that. “He knew I did not want to sign it with the large buyout but assured me that as soon as he took office he would address it,” the letter says. “I told him the $4 million buyout was unfair and Garrison agreed but said the Board of Governors would not change it at the time due to publicity concerns.” E-mails from Garrison chief of staff Craig Walker show the university was still working on Rodriguez's demands as of Dec. 13, 2007, and the administration did not change its position after that date. Rodriguez's letter, however, claims that he was told on Dec. 15 in a private meeting with Garrison that the university had done all it could and would not honor his outstanding requests. TDB, Rich-er, TDB. Too Damn Bad. You’re a money-grubbing bastard, a disingenuous SOB and a bona-fide piece of crap. You’re now making up whatever lies you think will help your case and you look like garbage for doing it.
- We finally have an answer to the age-old question of whether or not you can drop out of something that you were never officially in to begin with. Fred Thompson has given us conclusive proof that indeed you can do so, thanks to his decision to pull out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination. Thompson announced his decision Wednesday, much to the surprise of no one who had even remotely followed the race up to this point. It’s not a surprise because much like the guy selling peanuts and $7.50 hot dogs in the concourse at a NASCAR race, Thompson was never actually part of the race itself on the track. No one took him seriously, mostly because he seemed to have little substance to his campaign other than a bizarrely overzealous hatred of illegal immigrants and a desire to ruin their lives. “Today, I have withdrawn my candidacy for president of the United States,” Thompson announced in a brief statement issued shortly after another a**-kicking for the former Law & Order star in the South Carolina primary. Thanks for that stunning news, Freddy. In that spirit, I’m also announcing that I am withdrawing my candidacy for emperor of the universe and also my quest to make the 2008 Summer Olympics in basketball, baseball, track and field and beach volleyball all at the same time. We don’t need an official withdrawal announcement from you, F. Thompson, what we need is an apology for wasting our time with your ridiculous and pathetic excuse for a campaign.
- After mentioning a classless piece of crap in the coaching ranks like Rich Fraud-riguez, it’s nice to present a polar opposite from the same profession, someone who has a bit of class and shows it through his words and actions. Ron Hunter, the head basketball coach at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, a.k.a. IUPUI, led his Jaguars against Oakland University in a Summit League game Thursday night minus a key piece of his coaching wardrobe - his shoes. But this wasn’t some quirky fashion statement; it was to raise awareness and support for a fantastic cause. Hunter and his team are in the middle of an admirable campaign to collect athletic shoes for children in need in Africa, something the coach started a month ago after meeting Samaritan's Feet founder Emmanuel “Manny” Ohonme. Hunter originally set a goal of collecting 30,000 pairs. After news of his efforts started to spread and shoes started coming in, he mentioned he might increase the goal to 40,000, in honor of the 40th anniversary of the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. By the time his team tipped off against Oakland, he had 110,000 pairs. “When we started this I thought 40,000 was going to be tough,” Hunter told the Indianapolis Star. “When they told me before the game we already had 100,000, honestly, I almost broke down in tears.” More than 1,000 fans attended the game at IUPUI Gymnasium -- and some of the students showed up barefoot, in support of Hunter, despite freezing temperatures outside. The school announced that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security had donated 10,000 pairs, with the possibility of more to come. Soles4Souls, a Nashville-based charity, donated 40,000 pairs. Wal-Mart gave 25,000; Nine West, a women's shoe company, offered another 5,200. Converse donated 15,000 during Hunter's appearance on ESPN Radio's “Mike & Mike in the Morning” on Thursday.
Most of the shoes are being shipped directly to Samaritan's Feet, based in Charlotte, N.C. The non-profit group was started four years ago by Ohonme, a Nigerian whose own goal is to get shoes to 10 million people in 10 years. Hunter, with a fresh pedicure, coached the Jaguars to an 82-69 victory. “My feet hurt so bad,” he stated after the game. “But imagine a child or a human going their whole lives without shoes.” Hunter, 43, said he has been deeply affected by Samaritan's Feet and the mission he's joined, and his players have been touched as well. Some of them are want to join Hunter this summer, when he flies to Africa to help distribute the shoes. Hunter has said he would like to go specifically to Cameroon, the homeland of Jaguars freshman guard Christian Siakam. An unidentified man with no ties to IUPUI has offered to charter a jet to fly the team and the shoes to Africa -- pending NCAA approval, of course. Let’s hope the NCAA doesn’t find a way to screw up a good thing like it usually does and that they allow as many players as are able to go on this life-changing trip. Props to Ron Hunter for using his position as a coach of a simple game like basketball that isn’t the be-all, end-all, and using it to change lives in a major way. Visit samaritansfeet.org for more information on supporting this great cause. Donations can still be made up until Hunter leaves this summer, so there’s time.
- Lil Wayne is apparently big on illegal drugs. The rapper, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (very hip hop name, for sure), was arrested on threee felony drug charges after federal agents searched his tour bus at a checkpoint in southwestern Arizona and found illegala drugs, including cocaine. Lil Wayne faces charges of possession of dangerous drugs, narcotics and drug paraphernalia. The bus was stopped at about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday night and a Border Patrol dog sniffed out the drugs. Among the items found during the search were: marijuana, cocaine, drug paraphernalia and a .40-caliber pistol registed to Lil Wayne/Carter. Props on doing your beest Wille Nelson impersonation, Lil Wayne, rolling with a bus full of drugs. I can’t say as I’m surprised, though. I mean, a hip-hopper with drugs, no way. Other than the fact that most of these dudes rap about nothing but bling, women, drugs and cars, what tip offs were there? The true surprise would have been if Lil Wayne hadn’t had a bus filled with drugs. You can probably get a contact high just from driving down the highway a minute after his bus passes by. But you can be sure he’ll get a slap on the wrist and live to get high another day.
- Let’s go out on a limb and say that drug dealers are not generally well-liked people. They just aren’t, what with the breaking of laws, the lying, the selling of drugs that kill people, the guns, the violence, etc. However, that doesn’t make it ok for you to tie up and mug one of them at gunpoint. Drug dealers are people too, and they have rights, such as the right not to be mug and robbed at gunpoint. Two Texas A&M football players need to learn that lesson, because they stand accused of tying up and mugging a drug dealer at gunpoint have been indicted on felony robbery charges, the district attorney's office in College Station, Tex. said this week. Yemi Babalola, 21, and Brandon Joiner, 18, were indicted Thursday on two counts each of aggravated robbery. Joiner also was indicted on one felony count of manufacturing or delivering methamphetamine and two misdemeanor counts of possessing marijuana and hydrocodone, according to the district attorney's office. Babalola also faces a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge. Aggravated robbery is a first-degree felony punishable by 5 to 99 years or life in prison. Manufacturing or delivering a controlled substance is a second-degree felony punishable by 2 to 20 years in prison. Both players have been suspended pending the outcome of their cases, but let’s go ahead and assume they won’t be playing college football ever again. According to the police statement, one resident suffered minor injuries in the alleged Nov. 29 home invasion at the Callaway Villas Apartments. Police said two men entered the apartment, one carrying a semiautomatic pistol. The investigation led to searches of both suspects' homes, where drugs -- marijuana, ecstasy and hydrocodone -- and other evidence were found, according to the police statement.
Hmm, you’re accused of mugging a drug dealer and loads of drug paraphernalia is found in both of your homes….interesting. Some might even call that damning evidence, fellas. Here’s a good question, though. Most people go to college to figure out what career they want for themselves. Both of you apparently already have a career – as criminals and drug dealers. If you already had a life plan, why are you wasting your time in college? Now you can waste your time in prison, though, so your scholarships can be given to guys who will actually go to class, not commit felonies and not totally embarrass their football program and university.
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