Lieberman: Rodriguez under allegations once again

Remember the guy who raced onto the first plane to Ann Arbor, Mich., after Pitt beat West… Remember the guy who raced onto the first plane to Ann Arbor, Mich., after Pitt beat West Virginia 13-9 in 2007?

Yeah, Rich Rodriguez is back in the news, and once again, it’s not for winning football games.

The former West Virginia football coach has another NCAA allegation from his time as the Mountaineers’ head coach. West Virginia officials confirmed the NCAA was investigating a potential rules violation from Rodriguez’s time at West Virginia, but wouldn’t specify what the allegations were, and Rodriguez declined to comment on them, according to ESPN.

Several news organizations can confirm a report that the NCAA has interviewed members of West Virginia’s athletic department regarding potential rules violations with the football program when Rodriguez was at the helm.

If you’re thinking, “Here we go again,” the allegation routine toward Rodriguez is definitely starting to get old.

Rodriguez, the ghost of Big East past, is entering his third season at the University of Michigan.

He held back tears while addressing the media during the postgame press conference of Pitt’s national championship-spoiling victory.

Yet, he was all smiles less than a month later when taking the job at Michigan.

Hmm, that’s odd.

Why would someone raised in Grant Town, W.Va., leave his dream job as head coach of the only relevant sports team in the state for a program trying to replace a legendary head coach with a roster full of players who have little-to-no idea how to play his system?

It’s not my job to say he was definitely taking a fat contract from Michigan and running from trouble.

But it could explain why he left a team destined for a BCS bowl and successful future for one of the most pressure-packed jobs in college football.

It gets weirder looking at his past record, especially considering his previous contract situation with West Virginia.

Just four months prior, Rodriguez renegotiated his contract to make a long-term commitment to West Virginia.

Then, only a year prior to that, on Dec. 7, 2006, Rodriguez had an offer to coach at Alabama — another job with a hot stove as big as its 90,000-seat stadium.

He didn’t take it.

That’s peculiar. Hey, Rich Rod, at least that worked out for ya. Not.

Alabama won a national title last year. Rodriguez, in his previous two years at Michigan, hasn’t won much, nor has he made many friends.

That is, outside of Columbus, Ohio.

He’s like the Grinch, or a loser who has conversations with himself on his Facebook wall.

He’s even got a natural mischievous grin, like a politician. He can’t go anywhere in West Virginia anymore.

Somehow a rivalry has built between West Virginia and Michigan, a school which also took West Virginia’s basketball coach in John Beilein.

Rodriguez’s players criticize him. One even left for bitter rival Ohio State, telling the Detroit Free Press, “A lack of family values” was his reason for leaving.

A coach with a track record of belittling his players doesn’t belong in a position as a Division I coach.

If the allegations play out, by Rodriguez’s contract, Michigan can fire him for previous incidents at West Virginia.

But then comes the all-important next step: Where does Rodriguez go from there?

Let’s see. Count out the states of West Virginia, Michigan and Pennsylvania to start. He would’ve been a perfect fit at USC, but Lane Kiffin was the right blend of scandalicious for the Trojans’ tastes.

There goes the west.

Maybe there’s Kentucky? There, he could form the greatest 1-2 punch in scandalized coaches in the United States, alongside basketball coach John Calipari.

There’s always Ohio. He has made a lot of friends there.

So welcome, Coach Rodriguez, to the University of Miami (Ohio). Hey, you’ve got former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger sharing headlines, too.

Good luck building a winner and most importantly, staying within the rules to do so.

Quick hits:

Watch the Stanley Cup playoffs now. There are other teams besides the Penguins in it, and playoff hockey is more awesome than having a falcon as a pet. Trust me, you won’t regret tuning in. My pick to win it this year is the Chicago Blackhawks. The team was built for this postseason. Also, they have this Hossa guy who might be familiar to Pens fans. There will officially be a Hossa curse if the Blackhawks lose in the Stanley Cup Finals after the Red Wings did last year — and Penguins the year before — with Hossa on their roster.

All right, to anybody who would like to help out yours truly, I need to settle a score with some friends. Write me at rjl25@pitt.edu, and vote on who would win in a fight: a grizzly bear or a lion? Seriously. You can even just send me “L” or “GB” in the subject line, for all I care. If you want to venture into giving an explanation, go to town. I thank you in advance for your dedication to resolving these most pressing matters in our lives today.

Early prediction for stars of Pitt’s spring game Saturday: RB Ray Graham, WR Mike Shanahan and LB Dan Mason.

Readers of the column, I am more prone to be inquisitive and promote discussion. I want to find out what your thinking was, I want to find out what your feelings are and whether you learned anything from this column. At all. Ever.