Rich Rodriguez hit with $230,000 lawsuit over delinquent bills

The head football coach at the University of Arizona has had collections proceedings taken against him totaling nearly a quarter of a million dollars.

Rich Rodriguez will enter his seventh season as the Arizona Wildcats’ head coach this year, but before his team begins the 2017 campaign, Rodriguez will have to attend to a matter involved with his hire at Arizona in 2011.

Creative Artists Agency has sued Rodriguez for over $230,000 that the talent management company says Rodriguez owes them for helping him land his current job as the Wildcats’ head man, contract renewals and television analyst spots, according to Gene Maddaus of Variety.

It’s uncertain exactly how long it has been since Rodriguez made a payment to CAA, but what’s clear is that Rodriguez fired the agency in 2015, after his last contract extension with Arizona was finalized. While CAA acknowledges that transaction, it maintains that Rodriguez still owes them the near quarter of a million dollars for services rendered prior to the two parties parting ways.

Apparently, that $230,000 is just the amount of money CAA says that Rodriguez is delinquent on. CAA also says that Rodriguez owes them another $357,000 in commissions for the remainder of his current contract.

Depending on the language of the contract between CAA and Rodriguez, it might be in Rodriguez’s best interest to settle out of court. If Rodriguez should go to trial and lose, he would not only be on the hook for whatever damages awarded to CAA but also court costs and attorney fees for both sides as well. A settlement might also allow Rodriguez to escape some of the obligation of the $357,000 CAA alleges is owed on future dates as well.

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While it’s likely that this suit will end up being dropped after the two sides reach a settlement, it’s still worth wondering why Rodriguez would let an amount that is just over 10 percent of what he made last year cause him this much trouble. If the suit does continue, Rodriguez might regret not paying the $230,000 when he had the chance.