Rich had nothing to do with Spygate
February 6, 2008 by Mike CasazzaAs for everything else, it seems poor Rich Rodriguez is dodging the finger of blame.
– Early departure of Michigan receivers for NFL draft? Check!
– Diminished maize-and-blue reputation? Check!Â
-Â Turnover in WVU recruiting class? Check!
– Losses in future athletic department revenue? Check!
– Rain again on Wednesday? Check!
– Tuesday’s twisters in the south? Check!
– Ryan Mallett challenging NCAA rules? Check!
Under traditional NCAA rules, Mallett must redshirt in 2008 transferring from one NCAA Division I school to another.
However, Mallett and his parents, Jim and Debbie Mallett, are appealing through the UA that extenuating circumstances regarding the head coaching change at Michigan from Lloyd Carr, the longtime Michigan coach who recruited Mallett, to former West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez gives cause for Mallett’s eligibility at Arkansas to begin in 2008 rather than 2009.
“We feel it’s a little bit different than transferring because you are not happy with where you are,” Debbie Mallett said when contacted Tuesday at the family’s home.
Debbie Mallett said her son did not fit the Spread offense that Rodriguez brings from West Virginia to Michigan.
“He didn’t fit the system there,” Debbie Mallett said. “It’s not his fault that the university hired Coach Rodriguez. Certainly, Coach Rodriguez should be allowed to run the offense he wants to run. And when I tried to talk to Ryan about possibly staying through the spring, he said, ‘ He didn’t recruit me out of high school. He’s not interested in me. That’s not the type of quarterback he wants to run his offense. ‘ Ryan said he thought that it would be a total waste of his time. That at least’I can be in another system learning their offense. ‘ Of course he doesn’t want to sit out. So that’s kind of where we are at. We are letting the University kind of deal with it for us.”