I’ll try to update with stuff I find or learn as often as possible. Buckle up everyone. You know how this goes.

 -He’s gone.
-Surreal scene. Team meeting lasted all of 10 minutes. Rich left first and then the players followed. Silently. No one wanted to talk and a few actually went home. Rich spent almost 50 minutes in his office and then left alone out a side entrance, avoiding the small group of reporters who were hoping to speak with him.
-Meanwhile, an hour-long practice was going on inside the indoor facility. We’re waiting at the Puskar Center to see if players will speak to use here shortly.

*****

-Apparently we’ll have a resolution sooner rather than later. This comes from numerous places.  

***** 

-Regarding a phone call with athletic Director Ed Pastilong a few minutes ago, Pastilong said news of Rodriguez’s reported meeting with University of Michigan officials Friday in Toledo, Ohio, was “a bit of a surprise.” Pastilong said he spoke with Rodriguez late last night and early this morning and then meet with Rodriguez this afternoon. Pastilong would not discuss the meeting in much detail other than to say it was a “good discussion” and that “we covered a lot of issues related to our football program.” Pastilong wouldn’t comment on whether or not Rodriguez met with UM Friday and said only “I can’t speak for Rich.”

***** 

-The most interesting news from this morning’s media meet with Rodriguez was that tonight’s practice has been canceled. Rodriguez never said so, but it was confirmed. The reason given was that there’s a baseball camp in the indoor practice facility and that it’d be too cold to practice outside tonight, but also that some assistants would be out recruiting. It makes sense on many levels — the team needs assistants to coach, it’s supposed to snow tonight and the IPF is booked. Of course, the baseball camp ends at 5 p.m. and the football practice began at 6 p.m. last night.
– The players are completely in the dark.
– Rodriguez opened his discussion by saying he wouldn’t discuss anything about “any rumors or any innuendo or anything else that’s going on.”

Rodriguez: We’ll talk about this team, this season, this bowl preparation, aspects of recruiting we’re heavily involved in right now and that’s about it. All that other stuff, I don’t want talk about.
Reporter: Coach, in that connection, what are you telling recruits that read these stories?
Rodriguez: I’m not talking about anything other than this year’s team, this year’s season, this year’s bowl prep. That’s all I want to talk about.
Reporter: Well, to be a here jerk, Coach, you did say “rumors.” Is that what they are then, rumors?
Rodriguez: You all have not understood what I just said. One more question and then this conference unfortunately is over. You all know this. If the questions persist outside of that, this will be over.
Reporter: OK, for the Fiesta Bowl then, are you going to be the coaching the football team at the Fiesta Bowl?
Rodriguez: You’re tricky…

Remarkably, Rodriguez didn’t leave and instead talked about things he wanted to talk about for another 20 or so minutes. When it cam time for his to leave, he was asked one more time, which was predictable. What was he going to do, shut down a press conference that had just ended? I think not!  

Reporter: Rich, you understand by not talking about this, you force all of us to leave here and say this is alive?
Rodriguez: (Shrugging) … No comment. That’s what you’re supposed to say.

***** 

– Rodriguez’s agent indeed insinuating nothing happened yesterday.
– In an update, the Detroit Free Press reports a plane flew from northern Ohio to Morgantown, where it picked up Rodriguez and then flew to Toledo before returning to Morgantown. Rodriguez was then met by the media at the airport. Elsewhere, Rodriguez had been reportedly recruiting this week and was due back in town Friday. He was accompanied by his wife.
– No word on any meetings with Garrison. Yet. Press conference at 10:30 a.m.

*****

– Practice at the Caperton Indoor Facility broke peacefully and it’s said there was no mention whatsoever of the Michigan rumor. I say rumor because it appears Rodriguez’s agent, Mike Brown, is saying there was no meeting between Rodriguez and Michigan Friday. For the optimists, prepare yourself for a future filled with denials from Rodriguez saying he was in Toledo to meet with his financial advisor and that he never met with anyone affiliated with Michigan. Not saying one story is true and another is false. Just saying that you may very well hear that from Rodriguez tomorrow.
- One way or another, this will likely be resolved before Rodriguez meets with the media Saturday morning. Word floating around town is the coach and his president, Mike Garrison, are to be speaking early in the morning. Garrison was reportedly in Charleston tonight and, like the athletic director, Ed Pastilong, unable to get in touch with Rodriguez.
– The consensus after speaking with a mass of people today and tonight on both sides of the fence is that Rodriguez will remain WVU’s coach. There are, however, people who strongly feel he’s about to take over at Michigan.  

*****

– Rodriguez was icy as he deplaned and simply said he had a practice to get to. He then hurried off to the Puskar Center.
– A lot … a lot… of players were on their phones as they arrived at the Puskar Center. This is probably how they were learning of or discussing the news.
– WVMetroNews.com’s Hoppy Kercheval found Rodriguezin the Puskar Center … and I swear I didn’t see Rodriguez enter. Regardless, Rich doesn’t say much, but says a lot.
– WVU seems to know nothing about this. Within, you’ll find a university policy about not commenting on whether or not a school has contacted WVU to ask permission to speak with a coach. This must be a new policy. Pastilong said initially last year he had not heard from Michigan when it courted John Beilein, but said such contact is a courtesy. He also said a year before an unidentified school — likely Indiana — had contacted WVU and asked for permission to speak with Beilein.
– Emails and phone calls, as well as discussions I’ve had with others, reveal people are surprised, but more bothered than anything else that they are forced to go through this again. They seem to await a resolution, whatever it may be, and will move on.
– Here’s the talking point: Can post-Alabama Rodriguez afford to interview for a job he isn’t taking? And yes, this was an interview. And can Michigan afford to interview a candidate after losing Les Myles, Greg Schiano and others without feeling certain it will get that coach?

 ***** 

– The Sporting News had the news first.
– There is no way to say the meeting hasn’t happened. There just isn’t. It’s been confirmed everywhere, except from WVU, which is to be expected until the administrators figure out what is going on. Tomorrow morning’s 10:30 a.m. press conference ought to be interesting.
– Chats with people I know say the team has no idea and is preparing for practice, which begins at 6 p.m. This, of course, is the first bowl practice and a good time to get everyone’s attention – take that however you choose.  A plane likely taking Rodriguez from Toledo to Morgantown lands at 5:15 p.m.