March Madness Part 4

I saw a segment on SportsCenter today about West Virginia University and there newly founded hate for former football coach Richard Rodriguez, who left the team a few months ago for an unarguably better and more prominent job at Michigan University.

To be totally honest, it made me laugh. Not because what Rodriguez did was right--not that it was wrong either though--but because of the angle ESPN took on the story. They portrayed the whole thing as a backstabbing by Rodriguez that left the university absolutely in shambles, lamenting the loss of a coach that will probably destroy their entire football program for years to come. The Mountaineers had become (gasp!) nothing.

Until, of course, Bob Huggins came to the rescue. A Morgantown native that played his college baketball for the Mountaineers, a prodigal son, came home to lead the basketball team to a final four or even a national championship after form Mountaineers,John Beilein, left the team for...yes, Michigan.

They make Huggins seem like an absolute saint, which is what made me laugh and even get angry about the story.

A few years ago, Huggins was the coach of Cincinnati, but then he was dumped after being convicted of a DUI. (This was not your run-of-the-mill DUI, either. Rumor has it that the police report stated that night had puked all over the inside of his car door.)

Then, he was hired by Kansas State, and his name attracted a number of the nation's top high school recruits to come to Manhattan for their year or two of college ball. He coached one season for the Wildcats, persuaded Bill Walker to come play there and received commitments from O.J. Mayo and Michael Beasley, two of the best college freshmen in the land. (Actually, Beasley is the best college player. Period.)

Then, what did Huggins do to the team that gave him a second chance? He left them for the mountains of Morgantown.

So, my question is, how can you rip on someone like Rodriguez, and wax poetic about Huggins as a savior, when Huggins did the exact same thing?