SB Nation Detroit - Rich Rodriguez Fired As Michigan Head Coach, Thanks Fans In Statementhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48919/detroit-fave.png2011-01-06T16:42:11-05:00http://detroit.sbnation.com/rss/stream/16717942011-01-06T16:42:11-05:002011-01-06T16:42:11-05:00Fired Michigan Coach Rich Rodriguez Issues Statement
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<p>Coach <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="#">Rich Rodriguez</a> has not been available to the media since being <a href="http://detroit.sbnation.com/michigan-wolverines/2011/1/5/1916593/rich-rodriguez-fired-notes-from-dave-brandons-press-conference">fired on Wednesday morning</a> by Michigan. But he did issue a statement through the university Thursday afternoon, which reads as follows:</p>
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<p>“I am proud of the dedication and commitment exhibited by the coaching staff and student-athletes who have represented the University of Michigan football program over the last three seasons. While I am disappointed to depart Ann Arbor before we were able to reach the level of success we had in our sights, I am confident that the players who remain have the potential to do great things and to return the Wolverines to greatness. I would like to thank our fans and our student body for their tremendous support. There is great passion for Michigan football and I have made lifelong friends through this experience.”</p>
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<p>(via<a href="http://mvictors.com/?p=9331"> MVictors.com</a>)</p>
<p>Thanking the fans and students is a nice touch, given that many may not have supported Rodriguez, but certainly supported Michigan football. And his players get a vote of confidence from the coach who brought them to Ann Arbor.</p>
<p>As <span class="caps">ESPN</span>.com’s Adam Rittenberg <a href="http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/22158/rich-rodriguez-issues-statement">points out</a>, it’s probably worth noting that Rodriguez doesn’t mention athletic director Dave Brandon (nor anyone else from the athletic department) in the statement. Perhaps that has to do with Brandon leaving Rodriguez out there to hang for six weeks while working through his evaluation process. Had Rodriguez been dismissed after the Ohio State game, maybe he would’ve been in play for some of the other jobs that opened up around college football (Miami, Maryland, etc.).</p>
https://detroit.sbnation.com/michigan-wolverines/2011/1/6/1919559/fired-michigan-coach-rich-rodriguez-issues-statementIan Casselberry2011-01-05T19:38:09-05:002011-01-05T19:38:09-05:00Video: Watch Dave Brandon's Press Conference On Rich Rodriguez Decision
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<p>Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon spoke to the media for about 30 minutes earlier today about his decision to fire head football coach Rich Rodriguez. Brandon also answered questions about what's next for the Michigan football program, taking questions about Jim Harbaugh and answering other inquiries about the impending coaching search. SB Nation Detroit posted a <a href="http://detroit.sbnation.com/michigan-wolverines/2011/1/5/1916593/rich-rodriguez-fired-notes-from-dave-brandons-press-conference">rundown of notes</a> from the press conference earlier in the day, but below you can watch a video of the entire press conference.</p>
<p><iframe title="YouTube video player" class="youtube-player" type="text/html" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/jGqjZbPS93E" frameborder="0" height="442" width="550"></iframe> </p>
https://detroit.sbnation.com/michigan-wolverines/2011/1/5/1917570/video-watch-dave-brandons-press-conference-on-rich-rodriguez-decisionSean Yuille2011-01-05T12:36:57-05:002011-01-05T12:36:57-05:00Rich Rodriguez Fired: Notes From Dave Brandon's Press Conference
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<p>Below are notes from Dave Brandon's press conference on the decision to fire Rich Rodriguez.</p>
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<li>Brandon met with Rodriguez for several hours on Tuesday. </li>
<li>Measures for evaluation: performance in competition, recruiting and retention, academic performance, leadership and University image as it relates to players and coaches.</li>
<li>Brandon and Rodriguez agreed that the Tuesday meeting would not conclude with a decision. Brandon wanted Tuesday night to reflect on the meeting and informed Rodriguez of his decision on Wednesday morning.</li>
<li>"I believe this is the best decision for the future of Michigan football."</li>
<li>"I don't intend to do a public performance review."</li>
<li>"I appreciate the hard work that (Rodriguez) and his staff have put forth. Rich Rodriguez is a good man."</li>
<li>"I don't believe this is the result of a lack of effort."</li>
<li>Brandon is confident that Rodriguez will succeed in the future at another football program.</li>
<li>"Knowing that this decision is very fresh, I have a lot of work to do." Brandon will start the coaching search immediately after this press conference.</li>
<li>No committees will be created for the coaching search, but there's no lack of advice from people around the program.</li>
<li>"It's very important that I move as quickly as I possibly can."</li>
<li>"My job is to get the right coach."</li>
<li>It's a disruption to recruiting when you go through a transition like this.</li>
<li>Brandon's timetable will be motivated by hiring the right coach that can be successful, not needing a quick decision.<br>
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<li>"I personally believe Jim Harbaugh is headed to the NFL."</li>
<li>"I do not believe we will have a shortage of interest from candidates."</li>
<li>This is still one of the premier programs in the countries.</li>
<li>If Michigan wants to be successful, "we need to rally around our new coach." Don't find fault or make hasty judgments about the new coach. "I hope that's what our fans are prepared to do."</li>
<li>The season concludes with the bowl game and that played into Brandon's decision to wait until after the season to make a decision.</li>
<li>The bowl game was another test to see if the program was making progress.</li>
<li>"I have talked to Jim Harbaugh and I will continue to talk to Jim Harbaugh. He is a Michigan man."</li>
<li>"I made this decision last night. I am a disciplined guy. I appreciate the opportunity to sit down after the season and do a thorough review."</li>
<li>Brandon met with Rodriguez for three and a half hours on Tuesday.</li>
<li>Anyone that suggests Brandon made his decision before Tuesday night doesn't know what they're talking about.</li>
<li>"Although it's not a pleasant decision, I believe it's the correct decision."</li>
<li>"I don't think Rich Rodriguez has had a peaceful night's sleep since he arrived in Ann Arbor."</li>
<li>It has been three years of turmoil for Rich Rodriguez since he got here.</li>
<li>"Clearly we need to put ourselves in a position where that is all history."</li>
<li>"The expectations here are extraordinarily high."</li>
<li>"Michigan is not used to this. Michigan fans expect more than this. So do Michigan athletic directors."</li>
<li>"We play difficult schedules. The Big Ten is a challenging conference. It's a smashmouth conference with big teams."</li>
<li>Every year there are "red-letter games" against teams like Notre Dame, Ohio State, Michigan State, Iowa, Wisconsin and bowl opponents and Michigan went 3-15 in those games the last three years.</li>
<li>Michigan will be delaying recruiting visits originally scheduled for this weekend.</li>
<li>"One of the things that I look for is a coach who can modify their approach and their attack based on the personnel that they have."</li>
<li><span class="tweet clearfix">"There's a thought of getting a defensive-minded everything. I want the ball boys to be defensive-minded." </span></li>
<li>A new coach doesn't necessarily have to come from a BCS conference. "Is Tressel a bad coach? He seems to be doing pretty well down there, at least against us."</li>
<li>Brandon said a report (by ESPN's John Clayton) that Harbaugh was offered a contract paying $5.2 million per year and turned it down was "erroneous." </li>
<li>On Rodriguez's buyout: "The buyout is what the buyout is." </li>
<li>Brandon said Michigan has been in the middle of the pack in paying coaches. "I don't believe that's appropriate. There's a market out there and you pay for value." </li>
<li>Rodriguez will issue a statement later today, but will not be available to the media. </li>
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https://detroit.sbnation.com/michigan-wolverines/2011/1/5/1916593/rich-rodriguez-fired-notes-from-dave-brandons-press-conferenceSean Yuille2011-01-05T12:20:40-05:002011-01-05T12:20:40-05:00Rich Rodriguez Fired: Live Stream of 12:30 Press Conference
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<p>If you have to see it to believe it, here’s <a href="http://detne.ws/e25Lhi" target="_blank">a link to the live stream of the 12:30 press conference</a> in which Dave Brandon will talk about the change in leadership that became a glaring necessity.</p>
https://detroit.sbnation.com/michigan-wolverines/2011/1/5/1916572/rich-rodriguez-fired-live-stream-of-12-30-press-conferencePackey2011-01-05T11:48:54-05:002011-01-05T11:48:54-05:00Rich Rodriguez Fired: Dave Brandon Speaks On Decision
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<p>With Rich Rodriguez fired, athletic director Dave Brandon is planning to talk to the media at 12:30 p.m. in a press conference. There he will undoubtedly address questions about the decision to fire Rodriguez, the evaluation process that led up to the decision and what is next for the Michigan football program. In the meantime, Brandon gave brief statement about this decision in a release (<a href="http://www.detnews.com/article/20110105/SPORTS0201/101050383/Brandon--%E2%80%98A-change-in-leadership-is-necessary%E2%80%99">via Angelique Chengelis</a>).</p>
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<p>"I have completed a systematic and thorough review of our football program and believe that a change in leadership is necessary," Brandon said in a release. "We have not achieved at the level that I expect." </p>
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<p>Although a 7-6 record was an improvement for Michigan after going 3-9 and 5-7 in Rodriguez's first two seasons, Michigan faltered down the stretch, losing three games in blowout fashion. What's more, the Wolverines didn't show any improvement on defense or special teams as the season progressed. While the offense was electric at times with Denard Robinson, it failed to score points on a consistent basis in the second half of the season, contributing to Michigan's struggles.</p>
<p>While there were some reasons to be hopeful for the future, Brandon is correct in saying that Rodriguez did not achieve at the level that should be expected at Michigan. As a result, Rodriguez is now unemployed and Michigan is looking for a new football coach.</p>
https://detroit.sbnation.com/michigan-wolverines/2011/1/5/1916468/rich-rodriguez-fired-dave-brandon-speaks-on-decisionSean Yuille2011-01-05T11:20:22-05:002011-01-05T11:20:22-05:00Rich Rodriguez Fired: Press Conference Scheduled For 12:30
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<p>As <a href="http://www.detnews.com/article/20110105/SPORTS0201/101050383/Michigan-coach-Rich-Rodriguez-has-been-fired">first reported today</a> by The Detroit News' Angelique Chengelis, Michigan has fired head football coach Rich Rodriguez. A press conference at the Junge Center near Michigan Stadium has been called for 12:30 p.m., at which time athletic director Dave Brandon will address the media and hopefully shed some light on what went into this decision and what's next for the Michigan football program.</p>
<p>Rodriguez's firing comes a day after reports emerged that he had already been handed his walking papers. Rodriguez met with Brandon for a few hours Tuesday afternoon, but last night a release was sent out by the athletic department stating that Brandon will speak publicly only when a decision is actually made. It appears that after sleeping on it, Brandon decided this morning to fire Rodriguez, informing him that a coaching change will be happening for Michigan.</p>
<p>SB Nation Detroit will have full coverage of Dave Brandon's 12:30 p.m. press conference, as well as coverage of the impending coaching search.</p>
https://detroit.sbnation.com/michigan-wolverines/2011/1/5/1916403/rich-rodriguez-fired-press-conference-dave-brandon-michigan-footballSean Yuille2011-01-05T11:05:08-05:002011-01-05T11:05:08-05:00Detroit News: Rich Rodriguez And Staff Fired At Michigan
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<p>Per a tweet by the Detroit News’ <a href="http://twitter.com/#!/chengelis/status/22682185332957184">Angelique Chengelis</a>, Rich Rodriguez and his staff have been relieved of their duties at the University of Michigan:</p>
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<p>Mich assistant just informed me Rodriguez and staff fired.</p>
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<p>After yesterday’s media firestorm, this was no surprise. We’ll have more to come when details develop.</p>
https://detroit.sbnation.com/michigan-wolverines/2011/1/5/1916382/detroit-news-rich-rodriguez-staff-fired-at-michiganRyan Weiss2011-01-04T23:55:05-05:002011-01-04T23:55:05-05:00Michigan AD Dave Brandon And Rich Rodriguez To Meet Again Wednesday
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<p>Not only was Rich Rodriguez not fired by Michigan on Tuesday, as <a href="http://detroit.sbnation.com/michigan-wolverines/2011/1/4/1913616/rich-rodriguez-fired-by-michigan">had been reported</a> earlier in the afternoon by Fox 2 Detroit, but it now appears that athletic director Dave Brandon still hasn’t made a final decision.</p>
<p>According to the <a href="http://sports.ap.org/college-football/story?id=pa0ec4e5db09a47fe907e2cabd963b2ec">AP’s Larry Lage</a>, Brandon and Rodriguez will meet once again on Wednesday to determine the coach’s job status. This would explain why the players meeting originally scheduled for Tuesday night was moved to Wednesday afternoon.</p>
<p>In an official release, Michigan disputed media reports that Rodriguez had been fired.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“The definitive voice on this matter is Dave Brandon,” associate athletic director Dave Ablauf said in a statement. “And he has not and will not speak publicly until a final decision has been made,”</p>
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<p>Brandon spoke to <span class="caps">ESPN</span> analyst and former Wolverines receiver <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/113213/desmond-howard">Desmond Howard</a> and confirmed that he had not yet reached a decision.</p>
<p>Furthermore, <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=5988308">a source told ESPN’s Joe Schad </a>that Brandon may have hoped that Rodriguez would resign, but the coach wouldn’t do so. The two met at Brandon’s house for three hours on Tuesday.</p>
<p>Another factor that may be drawing out the process is Rodriguez attempting to negotiate a better settlement from Michigan.</p>
<p><a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=5988308">From <span class="caps">ESPN</span>.com:</a></p>
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<p>Another source said “contractual considerations” could emerge as a determining factor in Michigan’s decision. Rodriguez would be owed a $2.5 million buyout if Michigan decides to terminate his contract. Also, Rodriguez paid $1.5 million out of pocket in three payments to West Virginia as part of a $4 million buyout when he came to Michigan. One key question is how much, if any, of the money could be recouped.</p>
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<p>Is it possible that Brandon gave Rodriguez the chance to make a case for keeping his job, and Rodriguez may be doing exactly that? We may finally learn some answers on Wednesday.</p>
https://detroit.sbnation.com/michigan-wolverines/2011/1/4/1915815/michigan-ad-dave-brandon-and-rich-rodriguez-to-meet-again-wednesdayIan Casselberry