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Rich Rodriguez fired after president, AD question 'climate and direction' of Wildcats football program
Rich Rodriguez fired after president, AD question 'climate and direction' of Wildcats football program
Rich Rodriguez has been fired as Arizona's head football coach after a $7.5 million notice of claim was filed with the stateās attorney generalās office alleging that the UA's football coach ran a hostile workplace and sexually harassed a former employee.
In a letter sent to the campus at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, university president Robert C. Robbins and athletic director Dave Heeke said they will honor the separation terms of his contract.
"While this is a difficult decision, it is the right decision," they wrote. "And it is a decision that lives up to the core values of the University of Arizona."
Rodriguez, 54, just finished his sixth season as the Wildcatsā coach following stops at Michigan and West Virginia. This yearās team went 7-6, losing four of its final five games following a surprisingly hot start. Purdue beat the UA in the Dec. 27 Foster Farms Bowl.
The notice of claim was filed Thursday by a former employee. A notice of claim is an advance notice of a lawsuit against a public body. Most notices of claim are first sent to the Arizona Board of Regents or the University of Arizona itself. This claim went directly to the attorney general's office.
The notice was filed after the Universityās Office of Institutional Equity retained outside counsel to investigate allegations of sexual harassment from a former employee. The law firm of Cohen Dowd Quigley began investigating the coach in October, the university said. The investigation concluded last week, the university said, and while the counsel did not find enough to terminate Rodriguez, the university became concerned with the "climate and the direction" of the football program.
Portions of the claim obtained by the Star Tuesday paints a culture in which secrecy was valued above all else.
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 ā the former employee and two assistant coaches ā referred to themselves as the "Triangle of Secrecy," according to the claim. The three were charged with lying to Rodriguez's wife on his behalf, according to the claim, and were ordered to protect the coach's reputation above all else.
The former employee said in the claim that she "had to walk on eggshells at work, because of (Rodriguez's) volatility and sheer power over the department." Rodriguez would call her at all hours of the night, she said in the claim, to change travel plans or deal with Rodriguez's personal emergencies.
Another troubling issue for the UA
The notice of claim is the latest legal issue facing the UA. Former assistant track and field coach Craig Carter is facing multiple felony charges for threatening a former athlete with whom he was involved in a sexual relationship. The case has been featured on both ESPNās āOutside the Linesā and ABCās ā20/20.ā
The UA is being sued in federal court by one of three victims of former running back Orlando Bradford. The victim says the university knew Bradford was a danger to women and failed to protect her. Bradford was recently sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to two felony counts of aggravated assault.
And in August, Rodriguez was sued in civil court by Creative Artist Agencies (CAA). The agency represented the coach until the fall of 2015, and claims Rodriguez owes $230,050 in past-due fees.
Rodriguezās contract was set to run through May 31, 2020. His buyout as of Dec. 1 was $6,487,500, according to USA Todayās annual survey of NCAA football coachesā salaries. Because he was let go before March 15, Rodriguez will miss out on approximately $3.2 million from a master-limited-partnership provision in his contract. That pay came via publicly traded units on the so-called āLongevity Fund.ā Rodriguez was set to receive 25 percent of the value on March 15. If he had been terminated any time after then, he would have been entitled to the full value of the fund.
A fast start, ugly finish
Rodriguez's hiring on Nov. 23, 2011 was seen as a coup for the UA and newly hired athletic director Greg Byrne.
Arizona won the Pac-12 South Division title and finished 10-4 in 2014, then started trending downward.
The Wildcats finished 7-6 the following season, most of which was played without star linebacker Scooby Wright. Sensing that recruiting was lagging and the defense wasnāt performing up to expectations, Rodriguez turned over Arizonaās defensive staff. He hired Boise Stateās Marcel Yates as defensive coordinator and promoted Jahmile Addae and Vince Amey from analysts to full-time assistant coaches.
The injury issues worsened in 2016, when Arizona lost its top two quarterbacks and running backs at various points. After starting 2-1, Arizona lost eight in a row. Only a season-ending victory over rival Arizona State put a bandage on an otherwise painful season.
The Wildcats entered 2017 with the lowest of expectations outside the Lowell-Stevens Football Facility, picked to finish last by the media in the Pac-12 South. An uneven 2-2 start only served to validate that prediction.
But in Game 5, sophomore quarterback Khalil Tate came off the bench and set a Football Bowl Subdivision record for quarterbacks with 327 rushing yards in a 45-42 win at Colorado. Tate would lead Arizona to four straight victories, winning an unprecedented four consecutive Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week awards.
The Wildcats secured bowl eligibility with a 58-37 win over Washington State on Oct. 28. They couldnāt follow up their perfect October, however, losing three of four games in November. Arizona finished the season with a 38-35 loss to Purdue in the Dec. 27 Foster Farms Bowl.
The emergence of Tate and several freshmen on defense, including Pac-12 Defensive Freshman of the Year Colin Schooler, gave hope for bigger and better things to come in 2018. It also offered proof that the changes Rodriguez had made to the defensive staff were working, even if the immediate on-field results didnāt show it.
Heeke wrote Tuesday night that Arizona's next head coach will "will build a solid foundation for our program and create an identity of Arizona football that the University, Tucson and Southern Arizona communities can be proud of. Weāre excited about the future of our football program and we look forward to introducing our new head coach at the completion of the search process.ā
Rich Rodriguez fired after president, AD question 'climate and direction' of Wildcats football program
Rich Rodriguez fired after president, AD question 'climate and direction' of Wildcats football program
- Arizona Daily Star
- Jan 2, 2018 Updated 5 min ago
Rich Rodriguez has been fired as Arizona's head football coach after a $7.5 million notice of claim was filed with the stateās attorney generalās office alleging that the UA's football coach ran a hostile workplace and sexually harassed a former employee.
In a letter sent to the campus at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, university president Robert C. Robbins and athletic director Dave Heeke said they will honor the separation terms of his contract.
"While this is a difficult decision, it is the right decision," they wrote. "And it is a decision that lives up to the core values of the University of Arizona."
Rodriguez, 54, just finished his sixth season as the Wildcatsā coach following stops at Michigan and West Virginia. This yearās team went 7-6, losing four of its final five games following a surprisingly hot start. Purdue beat the UA in the Dec. 27 Foster Farms Bowl.
The notice of claim was filed Thursday by a former employee. A notice of claim is an advance notice of a lawsuit against a public body. Most notices of claim are first sent to the Arizona Board of Regents or the University of Arizona itself. This claim went directly to the attorney general's office.
The notice was filed after the Universityās Office of Institutional Equity retained outside counsel to investigate allegations of sexual harassment from a former employee. The law firm of Cohen Dowd Quigley began investigating the coach in October, the university said. The investigation concluded last week, the university said, and while the counsel did not find enough to terminate Rodriguez, the university became concerned with the "climate and the direction" of the football program.
Portions of the claim obtained by the Star Tuesday paints a culture in which secrecy was valued above all else.
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 ā the former employee and two assistant coaches ā referred to themselves as the "Triangle of Secrecy," according to the claim. The three were charged with lying to Rodriguez's wife on his behalf, according to the claim, and were ordered to protect the coach's reputation above all else.
The former employee said in the claim that she "had to walk on eggshells at work, because of (Rodriguez's) volatility and sheer power over the department." Rodriguez would call her at all hours of the night, she said in the claim, to change travel plans or deal with Rodriguez's personal emergencies.
Another troubling issue for the UA
The notice of claim is the latest legal issue facing the UA. Former assistant track and field coach Craig Carter is facing multiple felony charges for threatening a former athlete with whom he was involved in a sexual relationship. The case has been featured on both ESPNās āOutside the Linesā and ABCās ā20/20.ā
The UA is being sued in federal court by one of three victims of former running back Orlando Bradford. The victim says the university knew Bradford was a danger to women and failed to protect her. Bradford was recently sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to two felony counts of aggravated assault.
And in August, Rodriguez was sued in civil court by Creative Artist Agencies (CAA). The agency represented the coach until the fall of 2015, and claims Rodriguez owes $230,050 in past-due fees.
Rodriguezās contract was set to run through May 31, 2020. His buyout as of Dec. 1 was $6,487,500, according to USA Todayās annual survey of NCAA football coachesā salaries. Because he was let go before March 15, Rodriguez will miss out on approximately $3.2 million from a master-limited-partnership provision in his contract. That pay came via publicly traded units on the so-called āLongevity Fund.ā Rodriguez was set to receive 25 percent of the value on March 15. If he had been terminated any time after then, he would have been entitled to the full value of the fund.
A fast start, ugly finish
Rodriguez's hiring on Nov. 23, 2011 was seen as a coup for the UA and newly hired athletic director Greg Byrne.
Arizona won the Pac-12 South Division title and finished 10-4 in 2014, then started trending downward.
The Wildcats finished 7-6 the following season, most of which was played without star linebacker Scooby Wright. Sensing that recruiting was lagging and the defense wasnāt performing up to expectations, Rodriguez turned over Arizonaās defensive staff. He hired Boise Stateās Marcel Yates as defensive coordinator and promoted Jahmile Addae and Vince Amey from analysts to full-time assistant coaches.
The injury issues worsened in 2016, when Arizona lost its top two quarterbacks and running backs at various points. After starting 2-1, Arizona lost eight in a row. Only a season-ending victory over rival Arizona State put a bandage on an otherwise painful season.
The Wildcats entered 2017 with the lowest of expectations outside the Lowell-Stevens Football Facility, picked to finish last by the media in the Pac-12 South. An uneven 2-2 start only served to validate that prediction.
But in Game 5, sophomore quarterback Khalil Tate came off the bench and set a Football Bowl Subdivision record for quarterbacks with 327 rushing yards in a 45-42 win at Colorado. Tate would lead Arizona to four straight victories, winning an unprecedented four consecutive Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week awards.
The Wildcats secured bowl eligibility with a 58-37 win over Washington State on Oct. 28. They couldnāt follow up their perfect October, however, losing three of four games in November. Arizona finished the season with a 38-35 loss to Purdue in the Dec. 27 Foster Farms Bowl.
The emergence of Tate and several freshmen on defense, including Pac-12 Defensive Freshman of the Year Colin Schooler, gave hope for bigger and better things to come in 2018. It also offered proof that the changes Rodriguez had made to the defensive staff were working, even if the immediate on-field results didnāt show it.
Heeke wrote Tuesday night that Arizona's next head coach will "will build a solid foundation for our program and create an identity of Arizona football that the University, Tucson and Southern Arizona communities can be proud of. Weāre excited about the future of our football program and we look forward to introducing our new head coach at the completion of the search process.ā
