One by one, those close to Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez filed out of Schembechler Hall yesterday afternoon as reports circulated that Michigan Athletic Director Dave Brandon decided to fire the embattled coach.
The Detroit Free Press and Fox 2 Detroit reported that Brandon had already decided to fire his coach who had a 15-22 record in his three seasons in Ann Arbor.
So the flood of questions began in an attempt to get to the bottom of Rodriguez’s status. By the end of the day, though, everyone was still left without any firm answers.
First it was his wife, Rita, who walked in and out, managing a smile as she told reporters that she had not been told anything regarding her husband’s job — that was before nightfall.
The snowflakes started falling and fluttered throughout the afternoon and into the evening — at just as frequent a pace as the differing reports Rodriguez’s future.
Then Michigan offensive coordinator Calvin Magee, who has been an assistant under Rodriguez for the past 10 seasons, refused to comment as well.
“I am not talking to you guys today,” he said. Then, when asked if he had a minute, Magee tersely responded: “No I do not.”
Minutes later, Michigan defensive coordinator Greg Robinson left the building, also refusing to take part in the talk of the day.
“I’ve got all day, but not today,” Robinson said with a smirk. “See ya guys.”
But the whirlwind of news is not done yet. The Associated Press reported that Brandon has not yet made up his mind on whether to keep Rodriguez or fire him. Brandon met with Rodriguez for more than three hours on Tuesday afternoon, according to reports, to discuss Rodriguez’s future with the program. But no official announcement came down from Brandon. According to the AP, the two will meet again today.
Their first meeting came just three days after the worst bowl loss in Michigan history — the 52-14 throttling at the hands of Mississippi State on New Year’s Day. Leading up to the game, Rodriguez didn’t mention the elephant in the room — his uncertain status as head coach — until the day before the Gator Bowl. Junior defensive tackle Mike Martin said he really hasn’t seen it wear it on Rodriguez.
“He never mentioned it or talked about it because he felt that we as a team, we were working,” Martin said after the Gator Bowl. “It didn’t seem like it was affecting us in practice and things like that. But he’s a human. He’s a man. Putting constant stress on someone is going to naturally wear down on someone. He’s such a strong man. All of these coaches are strong people. That wasn’t something we could see. … They’ve been in the fire. I give it to them.”
By last evening, the University’s Athletic Department released a statement deflecting any of the reports about Rodriguez’s status and deferred to Brandon’s forthcoming official announcement.
“Everything that is being reported is media speculation at this point,” Michigan Associate Athletic Director Dave Ablauf wrote in the statement. “The definitive voice on this matter is Dave Brandon and he has not and will not speak publicly until a final decision has been made. I will let you know when Dave is prepared to comment.”
Sources, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Daily that a team meeting originally scheduled for 7 p.m. yesterday was re-scheduled to 4 p.m. today. Any decision regarding Rodriguez’s future could be announced during the meeting with the entire team.
Former Michigan quarterback and current Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh may be out of the running to replace Rodriguez if he is fired. Multiple reports said Harbaugh would prefer to stay at Stanford or bolt to the NFL before returning to his alma mater. And, John Harbaugh — who coaches the Baltimore Ravens — doesn’t think his brother will coach the Wolverines if a spot is open.
“I don’t know what he’s going to do,” John Harbaugh said on his radio show on WBAL yesterday. “I think the Michigan thing is done now. I don’t think he’s interested in doing that, which is hard for him because he loves Michigan. But it says a lot about Stanford and we’ll just see what happens.”
But for now, Rodriguez is still the coach of the Wolverines despite conflicting reports as to whether Brandon has already made his decision.