‘He’s Not the Narrative They Want’: WVU Source Claims ESPN Purposely Downplayed Rich Rodriguez’s Return to Glory
MORGANTOWN, WV — It should’ve been one of college football’s biggest offseason stories: Rich Rodriguez — the architect of West Virginia’s golden era — returning to the very program he once catapulted into the national spotlight. But instead of celebratory headlines and prime-time interviews, his return has been met with a curious silence from the sport’s biggest broadcaster.
Now, a West Virginia University insider is calling it what many fans have whispered for weeks: a deliberate omission.
“Rich doesn’t fit the narrative ESPN wants to sell right now,” the source told Gridiron Confidential under condition of anonymity. “They want fresh faces, media-friendly darlings, and redemption arcs they control. Rich is raw. He’s real. And he doesn’t kiss rings.”
Rodriguez, who was reappointed as head coach this past winter in a dramatic return to Morgantown, has wasted no time rebuilding the Mountaineers with the same hard-nosed, high-octane approach that defined his first tenure. His fast-paced offensive schemes and no-nonsense coaching style transformed WVU into a national contender in the mid-2000s — before his infamous departure to Michigan in 2007 created a national media storm and divided the fanbase.
Now, over a decade later, Rodriguez is back with a vengeance — and according to internal WVU communications leaked last week, ESPN seems eager to look the other way.
“Our PR team submitted multiple story pitches,” the insider continued. “We were told the ‘timing wasn’t right’ or that other narratives were being prioritized. Meanwhile, they’re running preseason features on coordinators and programs that haven’t sniffed a top-25 finish in five years. It’s absurd.”
Rodriguez hasn’t addressed the media blackout publicly, but those close to him say he’s aware — and using it as fuel. At a recent donor event, he reportedly quipped, “We’re too busy building something to beg for air time.”
The slight hasn’t gone unnoticed among Mountaineer faithful. On fan forums and social media, outrage is growing. “Rich brought us back from irrelevance once,” one user wrote. “Now he’s doing it again and they’re acting like it doesn’t exist.”
Former WVU quarterback Jarrett Brown didn’t mince words in a tweet: “If this was any other school, ESPN would be all over it. But it’s WVU and it’s Rich — and they can’t control the script.”
Media experts suggest Rodriguez’s past — particularly his departure from Michigan and rocky time at Arizona — may still color how some networks view him. “He’s not easy to box in,” said Brent Carlisle, a college football analyst. “And networks prefer stories they can brand. Rich doesn’t play that game.”
As fall approaches, Rodriguez and the Mountaineers remain focused on one goal: winning.
“They don’t have to talk about us,” the WVU insider said. “They’ll have to show us when we start beating their favorites.”
Until then, the message in Morgantown is clear — let the silence speak.
