In what started with a whisper, ended in a quick firing on Wednesday evening. After some reports began to surface that the Arizona Wildcats would fire Rich Rodriguez over some nefarious allegations, he was indeed released before the night was over.
He was fired by way of email.
Allegations of workplace misconduct levied by Rodriguez's former administrative assistant is what caused the firing. Worth noting, however, the school admits that it can't substantiate the claims, but that leadership had become "concerned with the direction and climate of the football program" as a result of some of the findings.
Since this has gone public, Rich Rod took to Twitter to both make an admission, and also defend himself from "fabricated, groundless claims."
— Rich Rodriguez (@CoachRodAZ) January 3, 2018
"The University initiated a thorough outside investigation. I fully cooperated with the investigation, including voluntarily taking and passing a polygraph," Rodriguez said. "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."
Rodriguez was fired without cause, meaning he's entitled to the buyout of just north of $6 million that's laid out in his deal.
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