West Virginia University is denying a claim by its former football coach that he had a verbal agreement with the school president regarding the $4-million buyout clause in his contract.

In a January 10 letter of resignation, Rich Rodriguez's second resignation letter, the coach says WVU President Mike Garrison told him he didn't believe in buyouts and would reduce or perhaps eliminate it entirely. Rodriguez says Garrison, who hadn't yet assumed the presidency but had taken over the day-to-day operations, wanted him to go ahead and sign the contract and would address the buyout clause once he took office.

But Jeffrey Wakefield, the attorney representing WVU in its lawsuit to collect the buyout, says Garrison made no such agreement. He says the terms of the contract are very clear and that Rodriguez had the benefit of counsel and a financial agent throughout the negotiations.

Rodriguez signed the contract on August 24. Rodriguez's initial resignation letter to WVU was effective December 18, two days after he took the head coaching job at Michigan.