Source: Christian Petersen / Getty
As sexual assault allegations continue to tear down Hollywood’s most elite men, it’s slowly chipping away at the sports world, too.
The latest to get caught up is University Of Arizona football coach Rich Rodriguez who was fired late Tuesday after the University’s three-month investigation into a reported incident.
Athletic director Dave Heeke didn’t acknowledge if the allegations were true but thought it best to cut ties, “After conducting a thorough evaluation of our football program and its leadership, both on and off the field, President [Robert] 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,” the statement read in part.
There was also a letter written to the University of Arizona community that details its law firm’s investigation, and describes that the allegation came from Rodriguez’s former administrative assistant.
But after the investigation began, the former employee hired a lawyer and refused to participate in the University’s investigation. He was “unwilling to turn over communications that she allegedly provided support for her allegations,” according to the letter.
https://twitter.com/CoachRodAZ/status/948409274027266048
Rodriguez found out about his firing via email. After the news was made public he admitted that he did have an extramarital affair, but that it wasn’t with someone who worked at the university. The 54 year old denied that he harassed the former employee, who also threatened him with a $7.5 million lawsuit. The woman says that the former coach forced her to keep his affair a secret and also groped and attempted to kiss her.
While Rodriguez’s coaching career may be over he went 43-35 during his tenure and guided them to five bowl games. And the University is honoring the commitment of paying the remainder of his contract — a cool $5.46 million.
