ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — New Mexico coach Mike Locksley has filed a defamation lawsuit against an Albuquerque lawyer, the latest round in a legal tug-of-war that is overshadowing preseason workouts.

Locksley filed suit Tuesday, one day after attorney Whitney Warner disclosed details of an age discrimination and sexual harassment complaint submitted earlier by her client, former football administrative assistant Sylvia Lopez.

Locksley's attorney, Turner Branch, said Wednesday the remarks attributed to Warner in an Albuquerque Journal article reflected "extortive pressure" aimed at forcing the university to settle the harassment claim.

Warner told the newspaper Locksley fired the 54-year-old Lopez because she wasn't "a younger gal" who could entice recruits.