WVU President Mike Garrison Deposed

West Virginia University President Mike Garrison (pictured above) was deposed on June 12 in Morgantown.

In a deposition that lasted nearly ten hours, Garrison said that Mike Brown, the agent for former WVU and current University of Michigan head football coach Rich Rodriguez, referred to his client as "Product Rodriguez" and told Garrison that he would continue to push Rodriguez toward other jobs because he did not believe WVU was the right job for him.

Garrison, who will resign as president at WVU on September 1, denied ever promising Rodriguez that his buyout would be reduced or eliminated if he left. Rather, Garrison said that he expressed interest in exploring "other options or opportunities" outside of liquidated damages clauses in future contracts.

Garrison also described a talk he had with Rodriguez at his home late at night on December 15, 2007. During the talk, Garrison told Rodriguez he felt there was great value in coaching in his home state, at his alma mater. According to Garrison, a distraught Rodriguez responded that West Virginia "isn't so (expletive) special."

- submitted by Brian Welch, third-year student, WVU College of Law