CHICAGO — Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez stepped to the podium Thursday for his first appearance at the Big Ten preseason media event and promised to clear up what he called "a little bit of drama going on in the last seven months."

That's putting it mildly. Rodriguez's departure from his alma mater West Virginia was messy and acrimonious and ended up in court.

"It was like I was afraid to open up a paper to see what's next and what do I have to refute," Rodriguez said.

"I always tell my coaches that you give your life and soul to the place you're working at and I probably did that. It certainly didn't end the way we wanted it to. But there were a lot of great people there, a lot of great young men on the football team, a lot of great fans in the state of West Virginia and I know they're going to have great success in the future."