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Augustine Jimenez III said that the UA may have conducted the internal investigation in an attempt to fire Rodriguez without having to pay his $6.2 million buyout.

Former UA employee Melissa Wilhelmsen did not participate in the investigation, which ended Dec. 28 with a determination that Rodriguez had not done enough to be fired for cause. Athletic director Dave Heeke fired Rodriguez anyway, paying the terms of his buyout but saving the roughly $3 million retention bonus the coach would have been paid had he stayed on staff through March 15. 

Jimenez wrote that the October investigation "was not to protect Melissa from further harassment by Rodriguez; instead, it was conducted to protect the University from the anticipated harassment claims and, perhaps, provide a basis to terminate Rodriguez with cause."

Wilhelmsen has filed a $7.5 million notice of claim against Rodriguez. Her attorney is expected to file a second claim against the UA's athletic department on Monday. Rodriguez has retained an attorney, Leo R. Beus of Phoenix. 

Jimenez's statement was a response to "mischaracterizations and personal attacks" made against Wilhelmsen in the media, he wrote. Rodriguez's daughter, Raquel, and son, Rhett, have both tweeted in defense of their father in recent days. Raquel Rodriguez posted screen grabs of what she said was a cheery text conversation with Wilehelmsen on the day the coach's former assistant gave her two weeks' notice. Rhett Rodriguez wondered in a tweet why a woman alleging sexual harassment would recommend her sister for her former job. It's unclear if Wilhelmsen did so; the person the UA hired to replace her was not a relative. 

"Melissa did not wish to have any of this information made public, and she is only responding publicly now because those at fault continue to cause injury by making publicly disparaging and false comments," Jimenez said. 

"Melissa looks forward to having her day in court."

To read the full press release, click on the attached documents.