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Details have started to emerge on the sexual harassment and hostile working environment claim that Rich Rodriguez and Arizona were struck with.
The notice of claim was filed with the state Attorney General's Office by an attorney representing Melissa Wilhelmsen and her husband, Jason, seeking $7.5 million in damages from Rodriguez and his wife.
The claim was filed on December 28, which is a day after Arizona's loss to Purdue in the Foster Farms Bowl.
The Arizona Republicobtained a copy of the nine-page claim by the Wilhelmsens Tuesday night.
Among the allegations are the following:
- Rodriguez called her into his office in January 2017 when he began discussing his marital problems and then grabbed her, “embraced her, touched the side of her breast, and tried to kiss her.” She managed to pull away. Two weeks later, he called her back to his office and said he wanted to "take care of her." Rodriguez handed her $300 in cash, but she refused the money.
- In February 2017, he called her into his office, and while talking she saw him "grasping his penis beneath his basketball shorts."
- Rodriguez asked Wilhelmsen to get him underwear from the equipment area. After she found a male staff member to bring them to him, Rodriguez told her how "his preferred style of underwear ‘visually enhanced’ his genitalia when worn."
- Rodriguez timed his workouts so would walk back to his office shirtless in front of Wilhelmsen.
- A coaching assistant made a comment that when Wilhelmsen raised money for the football program she did it by rubbing her breasts on donors. Rodriguez laughed at the comment.
- Rodriguez asked Wilhelmsen to come to his home alone to help him with his dog. Wilhelmsen texted the coach that she and her husband could come, but she would not come alone. “You know I love you,” Rodriguez texted back, with a kissing-face emoji.
- On Wilhelmsen’s last day of work on Aug. 11, 2017, Rodriguez’s wife cornered her in the office and demanded to know the truth about her husband’s affair. Wilhelmsen said she apologized for not informing his wife sooner.
