In the messy divorce that is West Virginia University v. Rich Rodriguez, the latest salvo is a trail of documents not only illustrating a "deteriorating relationship" between the athletic department, the administration and the football coach, but also an insistence by the university president's office in early December to cease discussing Rodriguez's list of a final few demands -- which all parties agreed to tackle four months earlier.

The Post-Gazette yesterday obtained from a source close to the situation a memo reiterating verbal agreements made as part of the Aug. 24 signing of Rodriguez's contract extension. The memo, written and sent Aug. 27, details a meeting that new President Mike Garrison opened by talking about "the culture change" across the campus. The memo also reported that second-in-command Chief of Staff Craig Walker agreed to work to fulfill several items on Rodriguez's wish list, such as an increase in the pool of money for assistants, the waiver of the $5 university-handling fee on "free" game tickets to high school coaches, and permission for football players to keep their scholarship-supplied books at the end of each semester.

Those were three of the final demands that Rodriguez raised Dec. 15, when Garrison and Walker declined to discuss them any further. Rodriguez then decided to accept Michigan's offer to become its head coach.

All parties declined comment yesterday, citing the pending lawsuit that the university filed last month seeking the $4 million buyout from Rodriguez under his contract extension.

The case yesterday was assigned to another federal judge in the Northern District court of West Virginia, after Chief Judge Irene M. Keeley -- an alumna who taught law classes at the university -- turned over the lawsuit to District Judge John P. Bailey.

The Associated Press yesterday also reported on a declining relationship among the main characters, using that Aug. 27 memo as well as other e-mails and documents it received through a public records request.

From such documents, a picture emerges of Rodriguez, through agent Mike Brown and financial advisor Mike Wilcox, dealing almost solely with Garrison and Walker -- to the point of excluding athletic director Ed Pastilong and deputy athletic director Mike Parsons.

As early as last summer, according to the memo Wilcox wrote to Garrison and Walker summarizing their Aug. 24 contract-signing meeting, Rodriguez outlined that his sole issues as head coach were "the operations of the football program, his need for total control for the football program and 'fairness.' " It added that whenever Rodriguez had problems with Pastilong, he "was to contact Craig Walker." Rodriguez also was bothered by the involvement in the program by Gov. Joe Manchin, Pastilong's college roommate and longtime friend.

Sources said Pastilong and Rodriguez spoke only twice during the 2007 football season, with another conversation coming Dec. 1 after the 13-9 loss to Pitt, when Pastilong phoned to say that the loss would cause him embarrassment at upcoming Big East Conference meetings.

The "road map for the future," as Wilcox called it in that Aug. 27 memo, detoured quickly. According to the AP, Brown complained in a Sept. 6 e-mail that the athletic department prematurely disclosed details of Rodriguez's contract extension to West Virginia media.

By Nov. 14, Brown was frustrated by unresolved issues -- including a pitch to sell the athletic department Web site and use profits to pay for the assistants' bonuses. Brown pressured administrators for a December meeting while suggesting that his client could leave: "Why is this important? There is a projected opening at Texas A&M this year and Florida State next year. Rich's name is being mentioned heavily."

On Dec. 4, Wilcox wrote to Walker that the president needed to meet with Rodriguez: "... It's really important in light of [Ed Pastilong's] remarks and the deteriorating relationship. ... It's not good and getting worse."

On Dec. 13, Walker told Wilcox that Garrison was "totally committed to working toward all reasonable requests to improve the program. But, at this point, another session to bring up the same issues will just not be productive for anyone." Three days later, the day after 11th-hour meetings with Walker and Garrison and after Rodriguez already left for Michigan, a graduate assistant turned in Rodriguez's handwritten resignation letter to Pastilong.

In other developments at West Virginia:

The Black Coaches and Administrators association and the university's Office of Social Justice have launched investigations into former offensive coordinator Calvin Magee's allegations of racism and discrimination before he officially left West Virginia for Michigan, as reported in Sunday's Post-Gazette.

"There are obviously some things that don't sit right," said BCA executive director Floyd Keith, who already has opened talks with Magee. "From what I'm understanding, Calvin never really interviewed or had an opportunity to interview. I think our evaluation will determine whether there was an official interview given to a coach of color, which is what we're concerned about."

Garrison, in a statement released last weekend, said, "There is absolutely no room at this university for discrimination ... or for denying anyone the chance to ... serve as a faculty or staff member on any criteria other than their own ability."