Rich Rodriguez demonstrated the basic problem of his tenure at the University of Michigan at the (Dec. 2 team) banquet and made clear to me, at least , why Dave Brandon should terminate his contract, and my remarks have nothing to do with a man crying.

He turned what should have been the players’ evening into an evening all about him. He took advantage of Brandon's constant (and correct) business like policy of refusing to deal with this matter publicly until the season's end by taking the matter to the court of public opinion/press. And this ploy worked, somewhat, thanks to (AnnArbor.com sports reporter) Pete Bigelow, who also can't seem to stand the uncertainty of waiting until the game ends to know the outcome. Coach took advantage of the moment and turned the situation into a public drama and opportunity to plead his case and present himself as a victim of bad karma in no way responsible for his poor judgment and lack of humility when he demanded his outrageous compensation package, which he has continued to receive. In his appeal for one more year, I do not read of any offer to reduce his pay and demonstrate his worth over time or any understanding that as a coach/teacher it is mostly about the players and not "all about him". In my opinion, what has gone wrong stems from his "personality " and belief system as to his own importance and place in the U-M family/system and to his value as an individual, all of which are reflected in his way of being in the world, motivating /teaching his players and his view as to ethical/acceptable behavior. His players likely respond, at a gut level, to the atmosphere his self-centered attitudes encourage, and as late adolescents, want it to be "all about them," a demand they each could be expected to modify as they mature, through leadership and example by their coach.

Yes, there is uncertainty. That is the nature of sports and life. It is not knowing the outcome until the game is played that makes sports interesting. Tolerating this is a lesson to be learned.

In his eagerness to hold on to his highly lucrative job, Rodriguez gave no consideration to the impact of his "performance" on the young men who are THE TEAM -- not HIS TEAM as he likely sees it . He demonstrated to these young men, that not accepting one's bosses "rules"/instructions, is perfectly all right if one finds it uncomfortable to wait a reasonable amount of time for closure. If he can't stand the waiting, he has the option of resigning. Etta Gluckstein Saxe Ann Arbor