West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin disputes claims there was any kind of a smear campaign against former Mountaineers' football Coach Rich Rodriguez. "As far as everyone I know -- and that includes the president and the athletic director and most of the staff -- there is no smear campaign," Manchin told The Charleston Gazette. "The facts are simply what they are." On Thursday, Rodriguez broke his silence on the controversy that has followed since he left West Virginia to become head coach at Michigan. "There seems to be a campaign to try to smear me," Rodriguez said. "I haven't said anything until recently, when I felt I needed to defend all the false accusations." "It has just gotten ridiculous over the last couple of days."