Recently fired Rich Rodriguez denies all allegations except for one
Prior to the 2017 college football season, there were plenty of rumors suggesting that University of Arizona head coach Rich Rodriguez might be fired if his team didn’t show improvement from a miserable 3-9 performance in 2016.
The Wildcats went 7-6 this past season, but Rodriguez was fired Tuesday — and it does not appear to be a result of the team’s performance on the field.
Instead, the 54-year-old Rodriguez was terminated only a week after the university said it had completed an investigation into sexual harassment allegations against the coach by his former administrative assistant.
The university, in a letter about his firing signed by president Robert C. Robbins and athletic director Dave Heeke, said it had hired the Phoenix law firm of Cohen Dowd Quigley to “conduct a comprehensive investigation” in October after the former administrative assistant accused Rodriguez of harassment.
Even though the school said the investigation found the charges “could not be substantiated based on the evidence and witnesses available … Arizona Athletics did become aware of information, both before and during the investigation, which caused it to be concerned with the direction and climate of the football program,” the letter said.
“While this is a difficult decision, it is the right decision,” the letter said of the decision to terminate Rodriguez. “And it is a decision that lives up to the core values of the University of Arizona.”
Despite the school’s findings, the former administrative assistant, Melissa Wilhelmsen, filed a claim with the Arizona Attorney General’s office seeking $7.5 million from Rodriguez and his wife for what Wilhelmsen described as sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment.
Wilhelmsen claims that in addition to the harassment, Rodriguez pressured her into hiding details of an extramarital affair from his wife.
https://twitter.com/CoachRodAZ/status/948409274027266048
In a statement released via Twitter Tuesday, Rodriguez claims the harassment allegations made against him were “baseless and false.” However, he did admit to having the affair.
“Regrettably, the complaint included a single truth — in the past, I had a consensual extramarital affair with a woman who is not affiliated with the university,” Rodriguez said. “It was wrong, and I have caused by family additional stress.”
“I am not a perfect man, but the claims by my former assistant are simply not true and her demands for a financial settlement are outrageous,” he added.
Wilhelmsen’s suit alleges Rodriguez made inappropriate contact with her on more than one occasion, often walked past her desk while not wearing a shirt, and once texted her a message saying “You know I love you” with a kissing-face emoji after Wilhemsen refused a request from Rodriguez to come to his home alone to help with his dog.
Wilhelmsen also claims that Rodriguez’s wife once asked her to lunch, but the meeting turned into what Wilhelmsen described as “a three-hour interrogation of sorts to find out what Melissa knew about Rodriguez’s flirting and promiscuity.”
She also claims on her last day of working for Rodriguez, the coach’s wife “cornered her in the office and demanded to know the truth about her husband’s affair.”
Rodriguez was the coach of the Wildcats for six seasons, compiling a 43-35 record. His best season at the school was in 2014, when Arizona went 10-4 and won the Pac-12 Southern Division. The school advanced to the Fiesta Bowl, where it lost to Boise State.
Prior to Arizona, Rodriguez spent three seasons (2008-2010) at the University of Michigan, where he won only 15 games.
His most successful coaching stint was at West Virginia from 2001-2007, where he went 60-26. His teams won or shared the Big East Conference title four times and he had three straight 10-win seasons.
Arizona said it would honor the “separation terms” of its contract with Rodriguez, meaning it will buy out the remaining $6 million left on his deal.
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