Arizona's firing of Rodriguez comes after sexual harassment allegation

The firing of Rich Rodriguez on Tuesday night after six seasons at Arizona came after a $7.5 million notice of claim was filed last week with the state's attorney general's office alleging the head coach ran a hostile workplace and sexually harassed a former employee.

The university has been dealing with an allegation behind the scenes that led school officials to hire an outside law firm last fall to investigate Rodriguez for potential workplace misconduct. No misconduct was found during the probe, which Rodriguez cooperated with fully, but a former administrative assistant has threatened to file a lawsuit against him.

The university announced his termination in a press release, and school president Robert Robbins and athletic director Dave Heeke said they will "honor the separation terms" of Rodriguez's contract, which was set to run through May 31, 2020. His buyout is about $6 million.

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"After conducting a thorough evaluation of our football program and its leadership, both on and off the field, President Robbins and I feel it is in the best interest of the University of Arizona and our athletics department to go in a new direction," Heeke said in a statement.

The notice of claim was filed last Thursday by a former employee and her attorney, according to the Arizona Daily Star. Most notices of claim are first sent to the Arizona Board of Regents or the University of Arizona itself, but her $7.5 million claim went directly to the attorney general's office.

Portions of the claim obtained by the newspaper describe a culture in which secrecy was valued. The notice of claim alleges, among other things, that Rodriguez and his closest aides followed a "hideaway book" that detailed such sayings as "Title IX doesn't exist in our office."

Those who had the most interaction with Rodriguez -- the former employee and two assistant coaches -- referred to themselves as the "Triangle of Secrecy," according to the claim. The three were charged with lying to Rodriguez's wife to cover up an extramarital affair, according to the claim, and were ordered to protect the coach's reputation above all else.

Rodriguez tweeted a statement late Tuesday in which he said he will "vigorously fight these fabricated and groundless claims" made by his former administrative assistant. In his statement, the coach said he found out about his firing by email.

"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," Rodriguez said. "I am saddened that these accusations and investigation have caused my family additional stress."

The former employee said in the claim obtained by the Daily Star that she "had to walk on eggshells at work, because of (Rodriguez's) volatility and sheer power over the department." She said in the claim that Rodriguez would call her at all hours of the night to change travel plans or deal with Rodriguez's personal emergencies.

"The University initiated a thorough outside investigation," Rodriguez said in his statement Tuesday night. "I fully cooperated with the investigation, including voluntarily taking and passing a polygraph. The University determined that there was no truth to her accusations and found me innocent of any wrongdoing.

"This was a thorough investigation that lasted over 10 weeks and included multiple members of my current and former staff. Notably, the complainant refused to cooperate with the investigation. It was comforting to be reassured of what I already knew, the claims were baseless and false."

According to a copy of the notice of claim obtained by the Arizona Republic, the woman said Rodriguez forced her to keep his extramarital affair a secret while also groping and attempting to kiss her among other actions that made the woman uncomfortable.

The woman said in the claim that Rodriguez attempted to pay her after a January 2017 incident but she refused the money. She ultimately left the job in August.

Rodriguez said Tuesday night that the complaint included "a single truth," admitting he had a "consensual extramarital affair" with a woman who is not affiliated with the university.

"I am still working incredibly hard to repair the bonds I've broken and regain the trust of my wife and children, whom I love dearly," Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez just completed his sixth year at Arizona, losing 38-35 to Purdue in the Holiday Bowl on Dec. 27. He had seemingly recovered from a 3-9 record in 2016 that threatened his job, but the Wildcats' slide to finish this season put his job in jeopardy once again.

The 54-year-old Rodriguez went 43-35 at Arizona, averaging less than six wins over the past three seasons. Before joining the Wildcats, he coached at Michigan in 2008-10, going 15-22, and West Virginia in 2001-07, going 60-26.

--Field Level Media