I actually know Ed personally. Rich wasnt down with the Joe Manchin thing at all, and when it got to the point where that situation behind the scenes got ugly, Rich Rod left. He wasnt happy with Ed or Joe when he left. He really didnt want to get caught up in politics, I dont think he actually wanted to endorse Manchin or even be involved with that situation, and I know for a fact he didnt want the Marshall games to happen. Rich Rod wanted to coach and focus on building 'his' program the way he saw fit. Too much outside influence from the good ol boy network, and Ed wasnt assertive enough to stop it. It got out of control. The good ol boy network was more to blame than anything else in RR leaving WVU. He was torn in too many directions coming back to his home state.