No, Rich Rodriguez Didn't Make $6.6 Million Last Year

This statement on how much Rich Rodriguez was paid last year, while technically true, is a vast misrepresentation:

In the 1970s, Col. Steve Austin became a household name as the lead character in the dramatic television series "The Six Million Dollar Man."

Last year, the University of Michigan had its own $6 million man: Football coach Rich Rodriguez.

Actually, $4.1 million of the $6.6 million the article cites as Rich Rodriguez's overall compensation went to West Virginia to pay a large portion of Rodriguez's buyout. Rodriguez was paid $2.5 million, which is in line with coaching salaries at comparable schools.

The article is grossly misleading. This, of course, didn't stop credulous ex-newspaper people from picking up the story designed for maximum sensationalism and running it without the slightest hint of critique. There's your journalistic integrity for you: misrepresentation of something that's not even news -- both the buyout and Rodriguez's salary were public knowledge in August.

This, in a nutshell, is a major reason newspapers are failing: stupid crap like this violates your trustworthiness. The Ann Arbor News, no stranger to hyping negative Michigan non-stories to the moon, should enjoy the opportunity while it can. It won't last much longer.