WVU's Rodriguez to Bama ... NOT!
see afternoon update in red at bottom
University of Alabama officials
and West Virginia’s Rich Rodriguez have reached an agreement in
principle for Rodriguez to become the Crimson Tide’s next head football
coach, two sources close to the search told The Birmingham News
tonight.
After Rodriguez’s representatives negotiated with Alabama Athletics
Director Mal Moore for most of today, Rodriguez has told Alabama
officials he is ready to take the job offer he received this morning.
Sources close to the search said Rodriguez will make over $2 million per year with incentives and will have one of the highest-paid coaching staffs in the Southeastern Conference.
A source has told The News that Gator Bowl officials have been warned not to expect Rodriguez to coach in the [Gator Bowl] game.
[Birmingham News, 12/07/06]
The big question for GT & WVU fans: Will the assistant coaches he elects to take with him coach in the Gator Bowl? We'll probably know who will coach in the game before today is over.
Coaching denials are not to be trusted. See what he said just last week in the continuation.
UPDATE: At around 3:30PM, the wires announced Rodriquez will stay at WVU. See later WR post. Guess he was telling the truth in this case... to WVU fans. Looks like he was playing Bama like a banjo to optimize his contract (and facilities) at WVU. He better hire a bodyguard!
“I’m going to repeat myself as clear as I can,” Rodriguez told the Charleston Daily Mail last week. “I plan on being the coach at West Virginia for the rest of my career if they’ll have me. That’s what I’m planning on doing.
“I don’t plan on calling or talking to anybody this week. I don’t plan on talking to anybody next week. I don’t plan on doing anything but everything I can for West Virginia football. That’s the end of the story. That’s it.”
Mountaineer fans were trying to raise enough $ to keep Rodriquez at WVU, the the big bucks and tradition of Bama is just too hard to resist.
WVU is currently favored over GT by 7. Let's see if that moves based on this news.
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