Mike Leach, the Texas Tech football coach who was suspended two days ago while the university investigated his treatment of a player with a concussion, was fired today, the Associated Press reports. The player, Adam James, had alleged that the coach confined him twice in dark rooms while the team practiced. The university would have owed Mr. Leach an $800,000 bonus if he was still the coach on December 31.
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3 Responses to Texas Tech Fires Its Football Coach
texasmusic - December 30, 2009 at 3:21 pm
I have never cared for Mike Leach, personally, but the timing of this whole situation stinks to high heaven. Even if there is some merit to this, it should have been brought up much earlier in the season, or they should have waited until January. The fact that they decided to bring it up just in time for the bowl game says to me Mr. James knows the media and is very familiar with timing in reference to the media. I hope Leach sues the James family for defamation. I think he is at least owed his $800K bonus and his bowl earnings.
academicadvancement - December 30, 2009 at 4:01 pm
texasmusic: The timing may not be opportune for program, players, or coach, but according to various media outlets, Mr. James sustained the concussion in mid-December. If Coach Leach’s actions are retaliatory as described, good riddance.
john_d_foubert_phd - December 30, 2009 at 4:52 pm
One interesting thing about the AP story is that if you read the response of the coach to this incident, it is carefully worded (of course) and he doesn’t deny what he has been accused of in this case. If any other faculty or staff member at a college did this to a student, they’d be out on their ear in a heartbeat — that is clearly cause for dismissal. Good for Texas Tech for upholding standards of integrity.