Rich Rodgriguez Pays Up

Football coach Rich Rodgriquez and the University of Michigan have agreed to pay $4 million to Rodriguez's former employer, University of West Virginia, for breach of contract. This was the inevitable outcome, as West Virginia's claim was airtight.

Rodriguez's contract with West Virginia had a $4 million dollar compensation clause if he left before the end of the contract. He did, then tried to get out of paying it. His lawyer claimed he was "tricked" into signing the contact with that clause in it. Yes, a man smart enough to run a major college football program who was represented by legal counsel, was tricked. It's no shock they didn't actually take that one all the way to the courthouse.

And that's the value of a written contract: It's an essential tool for doing business with people you don't trust, and Rodriguez certainly demonstrated that he's not trustworthy.

With Indiana University having just had yet more penalties added because they failed to properly oversee Kelvin Sampson, a man they hired despite a track record of rules violations, it's becoming clear that schools should not be giving these coaches second chances. Michigan may yet regret their choice of Rodriguez, if their share of the $4 million doesn't have them regretting it yet.

Worst Analogy Ever: Contracts = Slavery

New University of Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez has a hell of a lawyer. Rodriguez is trying to get out of paying up on a $4 million buyout clause that was part of his contract with his former employer (University of West Virginia). Can't blame a man for trying, I guess, although how a guy who is smart enough to run a college football empire, and who had legal advice during his contract negotiations, is going to successfully argue he was tricked into signing a contract with that buyout clause is a bit of a mystery.

Here's how, apparently.

"It's like back before the Civil War when slaves had the right to buy their freedom," attorney Marv Robon argued. "A penalty of $4 million is almost like a slave from Africa trying to buy his freedom in America.

As usual, the media gets the point wrong. Whomever wrote the article follows with

He's comparing a millionaire to slaves? Oh, come on.

No, no, no. What's wrong is that he's comparing contract law with slavery!

Rodriguez' decision to sign a contract he now regrets is compared to a system in which people were stolen away from their families, packed into ships without proper food, ventilation, water, sanitation, etc., and sold them to other people who would keep them and their descendants enslaved in perpetuity unless one of those descendants happened to find himself in a situation in which he could earn the money to buy his freedom.

Yep, contract law and slavery--surprisingly similar. Wonder how that lawyer did in his contracts class in law school?