Rodriguez Warns WVU Players: Loaf and 'You’re a Traitor' to the Team

When Rich Rodriguez is speaking, there's always a chance that he's going to provide some entertainment. He certainly did that today when he hopped on The Pat McAfee Show for roughly twenty minutes to discuss the start of the season.

Rodriguez was asked about what he's looking forward to seeing this Saturday in the season opener against Robert Morris and mentioned a list of obvious things, but made it pretty clear what he doesn't want to see — pre-snap penalties, holding, or loafing.

"When you hold you're lazy..

If you loaf you're a traitor and you play for the other team..

I don't want lazy people and I don't want traitors"

You're THE BEST @RealCoachRod 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/tqsSXOUP7V
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) August 28, 2025

“What we can control is our guys playing really hard, playing with passion, and being disciplined. I was on our guys yesterday. I said we can’t have pre-snap penalties, we can’t have guys holding. When you hold, you’re lazy. That’s it. If you loaf, you’re a traitor. You play for the other team. I don’t want lazy people, and I don’t want traitors. We’re down to ten. It’s ten against twelve. If we got two guys that’s loafing, it’s nine against thirteen.”

"If you loaf, you're a traitor," may be one of the best things I've ever heard. Yes, it's funny, but it also holds true. By not going full force, you're holding the team back and letting your teammates down, especially when they are giving it their all.

The culture shift is in full effect in Morgantown, and at this point, nothing in practice or film sessions is catching the players off guard. They know what to expect every single day and how demanding Rodriguez and this staff are.

"We've got to play a game to really see what we have. But from an attitude standpoint, a culture standpoint, I don't think we're 100% there, but we're a lot further along than we were a month ago and six months ago," Rodriguez said.

Here, in just under 48 hours, we'll get to see what exactly the Mountaineers have and get a better idea of what this team will excel in and struggle with.

WVU and Robert Morris kick things off at 2 p.m. ET.

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