Rich Rodriguez’s attorneys prepping to sue accuser for attempted extortion

PHOENIX — Attorneys for former Arizona head football coach Rich Rodriguez were preparing to sue a woman who accused him of sexual harassment. The suit will likely focus on attempted extortion.

Sources told 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station’s John Gambadoro that the accuser, Melissa Wilhelmsen, had attempted to extort “multiple millions” from Rodriguez and only filed her $7.5 million notice of claim after he refused to pay.

The sources, who requested to remain anonymous, said Rodriguez denies Wilhelmsen’s allegations, save for his extramarital affair.

They did not immediately indicate when Rodriguez’s potential suit could be filed.

Wilhelmsen accused Rodriguez of both sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment for multiple employees.

She claimed Rodriguez touched her breast and would appear before her in various states of undress, including in his underwear. At one point, she claimed he held a closed-door meeting with her while touching his privates.

She also alleged that Rodriguez attempted to give her thousands of dollars on multiple occasions because he “wanted to take care of her” and forced her and others to lie about his affair.

Wilhelmsen has yet to officially sue. Her claim is the first step in Arizona to filing a lawsuit.

The school fired Rodriguez on Tuesday after saying it had conducted an investigation into the coach but was unable to confirm that the harassment occurred.

However, the athletic department said it became aware of information during the investigation that “caused it to be concerned with the direction and climate of the football program.”

In a Tuesday statement, Rodriguez admitted to the affair but denied the claims against him.

“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,” he said.

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