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Rodriguez to pay $4 million WVU tab

MORGANTOWN, W.Va., July 9 (UPI) -- Former West Virginia University head football coach Rich Rodriguez will pay $4 million for breaking his contract, WVU officials said.

The two sides reached an agreement around midnight Tuesday. WVU attorney Tom Flaherty confirmed a settlement under which Rodriguez, or his new employers at the University of Michigan, would pick up the $4 million buyout, the Charleston Gazette reported Wednesday.

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"We had key decision makers involved in the process," Flaherty said. "A variety of factors were involved to get this accomplished."

Rodriguez had previously counter-sued WVU saying his contract calling for the $4 million buyout had been signed under pressure and that the school breached the deal when it failed to live up to oral promises made to him.

Meetings this week involved a mediator to help reach an agreement in which each side has agreed to pay its own legal fees and costs. The agreement reportedly spells out how much Rodriguez will pay and how much will be paid on his behalf. The former WVU coach had a deal with Michigan from the start of his employment there to pay all or part of the $4 million, the Gazette reported.

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