Bodog Beat

Rich Rodriguez has to pony up $4 million to West Virginia. (AP Images)

The Michigan Wolverines and their football coach Rich Rodriguez have agreed to pay $4 million to West Virginia, the team he coached last year, after they claimed that he breached contract in December.

Rodriguez will pay $1.5 million in three annual payments beginning January 2010. The Wolverines athletic department, his new employer, will pay $2.5 million by the end of July and cover Rodriguez's legal fees, the University of Michigan said in a statement.

"To help Rich focus on the challenges ahead, we have worked with him to resolve the dispute between him and West Virginia University over the terms of his buyout," Michigan athletic director Bill Martin said. "Although he continues to disagree with the validity of the terms, Rich and the rest of us at Michigan felt that it would be best to get this distracting issue behind us."

Damn, they're forking up $2.5 million dollars to another program for a coach? You better produce some wins at Michigan Rodriguez.

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