Not awkward, guys. Not awkward unless we let it be.
To both men's credit, they handled a potentially static/silence filled interview with grace and class. Rodriguez sent some love to his recruits for their hard hard on the recruiting trail when he was there and Hoke showed some appreciation for the work Rich had done before his arrival. But I'm reading through the lines here folks. Maybe you see it differently.
Dr. Saturday sure as hell does. Not missing a beat the good Doctor jumps from the CBS interview to Rodriguez' recent interview and pronouncements that "the worst was behind us," in an attempt to suggest there is some lingering bad blood. Of course there's going to be lingering resentment and frustration. The guy got fired like his name was Ty Willingham, and it's not like Willingham had ever won a ---king BCS bowl. I'll get to whether Rich was right about "turning the corner" in another post. (spoiler alert: when you lose your last three games by an average of 30 points, no, you have not turned a corner).
Still, to his and Brady's credit, they handled it like pros. Rich asked good questions, Brady answered them gracefully. Personally, I'll always have a soft spot for Rich in my Michigan heart. The guy got a raw deal at Michigan and somehow managed to come out of it the same nice guy he went in. His AP interview contained, at worst, frustration but no real jabs. Rich is a class act, and if you want further proof check out the video below. Thanks for your hard work Rich. And most of all, thanks for not making this interview any more awkward than it had to be. (commercial included, because that's how the internets are these days).