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Mike Leach Fired

Texan_Bill

Texan_Bill

Hall of Fame
12/28/09
Coach Leach is suspended until further notice
Posted: Dec 28, 2009 3:54 PM CST

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LUBBOCK, TX (KCBD) - According to a statement released from Texas Tech University, Texas Tech Football Coach Mike Leach has been suspended until further notice after a complaint from a player and his parents on his treatment of the player after an injury.

An investigation of the incident is underway. According to the statement from Tech, until the investigation is complete, Texas Tech University is suspending coach Leach from all duties as Head Football Coach effective immediately. The investigation into this matter will continue in a thorough and fair manner.

Coach Ruffin McNeill will assume duties as Interim Head Coach and will coach the team during the Alamo Bowl.

The decision to take these actions was made in consultation with the Texas Tech University president, and the Texas Tech University System chancellor, and Board of Regents chairman and vice chairman. 

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More: Coach Leach is suspended until further notice
 
I don't know what I'm more surprised about...the funky Pirate being suspended, or that Tech has a Defensive Coordinator?
 
Something about Craig James' (ESPN) kid having signs of a concussion and Leach telling a trainer to put him in a dark electrical closet during practice that Leach said would help him and keep him close to the team during practice. Very weird.
 
hookinreds said:
Something about Craig James' (ESPN) kid having signs of a concussion and Leach telling a trainer to put him in a dark electrical closet during practice that Leach said would help him and keep him close to the team during practice. Very weird.
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Just throwing this out there:

When you have a concussion, is the exposure to bright lights something that hurts the injured player, something akin to having a migraine...thus prompting Leach to say "Put him in the electrical closet" because maybe it's dark in there?

Leach is a weird cat. And sometimes he says things that leave you wondering if he was for real or just messing with people's heads.

It's like he's a mini-Bobby Knight. Without the physical outbursts, though.

Man, this is messed up. I'm stunned.
 
GP said:
Just throwing this out there:

When you have a concussion, is the exposure to bright lights something that hurts the injured player, something akin to having a migraine...thus prompting Leach to say "Put him in the electrical closet" because maybe it's dark in there?

Leach is a weird cat. And sometimes he says things that leave you wondering if he was for real or just messing with people's heads.

It's like he's a mini-Bobby Knight. Without the physical outbursts, though.

Man, this is messed up. I'm stunned.
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An attorney for Leach says he wanted Adam James in a cool, dark place.

But the report with ESPN.com says that Leach wanted Adam James to be secluded in a dark, confining space where he could not sit down or lean on anything (basically, he had to remain standing).

Look, "WHAT IF" Leach thought that James might lay down or lean on something, and go to sleep? You don't sleep if you have a concussion. You stay awake.

It sounds like he got concussed at practice. Trainers went out there, or brought him to the sideline, where they examined him on-the-spot. He had an elevated heart rate at that time. There was no official examination; no clinical diagnosis of how severe the concussion was.

So Leach, trying to keep practice running along, has his staff take Adam James to the dark closet where he can't lay down (in fear of him falling asleep).

OR.....Leach thought he was being a puss, and treated him in a jackass'ical way by having him stand in a dark closet since he claims his head was hurt.

Leach is a former lawyer. He went to law school, IIRC, and it wouldn't surprise me if he did this stunt knowing that he had "an out" in poker terms, so to speak.

I live in the area of Lubbock. Sometimes I have seen him on the local TV news station, doing a guest spot as a weather man where he gets to use the green screen. He is WEIRD! He was saying nonsensical stuff that left the TV news anchors giving each other weird looks, chuckling out of awkwardness.

I think he gets off the hook, but is told that one more weird event from him will be a "walk the plank" punishment awaiting him.
 
GP said:
I think he gets off the hook, but is told that one more weird event from him will be a "walk the plank" punishment awaiting him.
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Agreed. TT isn't about to get rid of Leach. Their future would be way to uncertain. I don't think this is bad enough "yet".

If it happens again though, you're right and he'll be sleeping with the fishes. :gun:

His weirdness can't last forever.
 
I think Leach was jacking around with Adam James, and the "lawyer" in Leach knew he had a somewhat reasonable "out" by making him go to a dark closet and not lay down or lean on anything.

1. He can claim he was only looking out for the player.

2. He can claim that this is a case of Adam's daddy (Craig James) making a big deal about nothing.

3. He can claim that certain people took him out of context in terms of what he was trying to accomplish with Adam James (given the situation).

This is a guy who has an alter-ego nickname for Taylor Potts. Even his jersey had the name "Nick," or some such thing, on the back.

He gives bizarre press conferences.

I've seen his weird appearance on Lubbock's local TV station.

Is the guy going bonkers? He might be. There might just be a gradual breakdown in brain matter that is causing him to exhibit irrational or inexplicable behavior that's associated with any number of conditions that an older man might be developing at his age.

If he shows up to the stadium in bunny slippers and an ivory-handled Colt revolver on his hip, I wouldn't be surprised at this point.

Tech better have some sort of spread offense coach on their radar, IMO.
 
Ted Liggett, Leach's attorney, said James "was placed in an equipment room as it was much cooler and darker" than the practice field "after a doctor had examined him and returned him to the field."

Liggett said that on that day, a trainer was posted outside the room and that James was provided ice. Liggett said that James was secluded for one to two hours. Liggett said that on another occasion, James was placed in a "press room with air-conditioning and a stationary bike he could use."
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Inquiring Minds Want To Know:

"Why is it necessary to put Adam James in the 'coolest' area that could be found" when it's freaking DECEMBER in Lubbock?

Any of you guys been in Lubbock in December? It isn't warm.

Something else, why is he in a dark ELECTRICAL closet? Isn't that a potential hazard to be enclosed near electrical wires, switches, etc.? And a guard was posted outside? And he was told he would be kicked off the team if he came out?

I dunno....Mike Leach might be in bigger trouble than first reported/theorized.

This does NOT look good for Mike Leach. This puts him right up there with Mangino of Kansas, IMO. The only saving grace is going to be how tolerant Texas Tech was of Bobby Knight. They might pull the "Aw, shucks...Mike didn't mean any harm. We're on the same page. No news here" card.

Wow. Drama in Red Raider Land. LOL!
 
GP said:
Inquiring Minds Want To Know:

"Why is it necessary to put Adam James in the 'coolest' area that could be found" when it's freaking DECEMBER in Lubbock?

Any of you guys been in Lubbock in December? It isn't warm.

Something else, why is he in a dark ELECTRICAL closet? Isn't that a potential hazard to be enclosed near electrical wires, switches, etc.? And a guard was posted outside? And he was told he would be kicked off the team if he came out?

I dunno....Mike Leach might be in bigger trouble than first reported/theorized.

This does NOT look good for Mike Leach. This puts him right up there with Mangino of Kansas, IMO. The only saving grace is going to be how tolerant Texas Tech was of Bobby Knight. They might pull the "Aw, shucks...Mike didn't mean any harm. We're on the same page. No news here" card.

Wow. Drama in Red Raider Land. LOL!
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As long as everything is up to code and meets OSHA standards the answer is no.
 
There is also the angle out there about Craig James bitching about his kids playing time all year too. Maybe Leach was showing him who is running the team and if they kid doesn't like it he can leave.
 
Hey Craig...thanks for making sure those that break the rules are punished, becuase i'm sure you had nothing to do with SMU football being blown off the planet...or were you a whistle blower there too?


Not taking anything away from hurting a kid, but I think it's a far reach to say that Craig isn't partially responsible for what ever happend here.
 
This has taken on the appearance of a feud between Craig and Mike.

But the problem is that Mike goofed up. He took it up a notch, and it makes him look verrry verrry bad, IMO.

Now, Craig James is playing the "We are only trying to help Texas Tech in its goal of shaping young men" card.

There is no way that Texas Tech is going to allow Mike Leach to return for the bowl game. The sports media would be all over this ordeal 24/7 and it would distract the team more than it already has.

TTU doesn't want that sort of publicity right now. They want to limit Leach's exposure as much as possible.

Leach is eccentric, to say the least, and he went over the line, IMO.

The only thing going for Leach, at the moment, is that he doesn't have a documented history of abusing players. I don't think any TTU players are going to surface and attack Leach like what we saw with Mangino at Kansas.

But will TTU feel that the team is solid enough to go a different direction for head coach? To what degree does Mike Leach HIMSELF give the Red Raiders a better chance of beating teams? The system is known by his assistants. Could a better head coach, one who doesn't play Sheffield while the dude is limping on one foot all game long, be a difference-maker for them?

It's interesting to see how much an organization will attempt to hold onto the head coach whom they think is solely responsible for the team's success, as well as for future prospects of STAYING a winner.

Sometimes, it's just time to go. I think TTU could cite some escape clause in the Leach contract that has to do with conduct detrimental to the University's image.

Rich Rodriguez left West Virginia and the assistant coach took the reins and led the team to a bowl victory in his first gig as head coach there. Going to be interesting to see how McNeil handles this. He turned around the Tech defense.

As a Tech fan, I had actually tired of the Leach act this season. The comments about his players' "fat little girlfriends" was the last straw for me. I think the guy is in his own world.
 
GP said:
This has taken on the appearance of a feud between Craig and Mike.

But the problem is that Mike goofed up. He took it up a notch, and it makes him look verrry verrry bad, IMO.

Now, Craig James is playing the "We are only trying to help Texas Tech in its goal of shaping young men" card.

There is no way that Texas Tech is going to allow Mike Leach to return for the bowl game. The sports media would be all over this ordeal 24/7 and it would distract the team more than it already has.

TTU doesn't want that sort of publicity right now. They want to limit Leach's exposure as much as possible.

Leach is eccentric, to say the least, and he went over the line, IMO.

The only thing going for Leach, at the moment, is that he doesn't have a documented history of abusing players. I don't think any TTU players are going to surface and attack Leach like what we saw with Mangino at Kansas.

But will TTU feel that the team is solid enough to go a different direction for head coach? To what degree does Mike Leach HIMSELF give the Red Raiders a better chance of beating teams? The system is known by his assistants. Could a better head coach, one who doesn't play Sheffield while the dude is limping on one foot all game long, be a difference-maker for them?

It's interesting to see how much an organization will attempt to hold onto the head coach whom they think is solely responsible for the team's success, as well as for future prospects of STAYING a winner.

Sometimes, it's just time to go. I think TTU could cite some escape clause in the Leach contract that has to do with conduct detrimental to the University's image.

Rich Rodriguez left West Virginia and the assistant coach took the reins and led the team to a bowl victory in his first gig as head coach there. Going to be interesting to see how McNeil handles this. He turned around the Tech defense.

As a Tech fan, I had actually tired of the Leach act this season. The comments about his players' "fat little girlfriends" was the last straw for me. I think the guy is in his own world.
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I think Leach is entertaining. He is different and strange but effective as a HC. If I were TT I wouldn't fire him over this, but if they do I won't blame them one bit. I can't understand what the hell he was thinking about all of this and what made him throw a kid into a closet like that. I'd probably have to be in the room when they're asking him why he did all of that to see what his responses are. The media is reporting that he feels that he did nothing wrong so it sort of stinks of Leach being the typical arrogant Leach that's strange and in his own little world like you say. I guess I'd have to be talking to him myself though really to try and understand where is he with all of this.

But TT would probably go down hill big time if Leach were gone in my opinion. In college football a program like TT can't be successful with just anyone. They need a really good guy out there since recruiting is so difficult for a town like Lubbock.
 
I don't like Mike Leach but I respect him as a coach and the mad pirate scientist that he is. The guys is too smart to do something so blatantly dumb and we've only gotten 1 side of the story which is coming from the "sports journalist" father of a disgruntled player and who has used his status to lobby to get his kid more playing time.

Add in the fact that the Tech AD can't stand Leach and that he has pissed off the Tech administration by continually interviewing for other HC jobs and it's a powder keg. I'd love for Leach to leave Tech,but not like this and not because a Daddy is mad because the mean coach wasn't nice to his son.
 
Leach shouldn't have brought up that he thinks James is a slacker because it made the whole thing look like punishment.
 
Stemp said:
I don't like Mike Leach but I respect him as a coach and the mad pirate scientist that he is. The guys is too smart to do something so blatantly dumb and we've only gotten 1 side of the story which is coming from the "sports journalist" father of a disgruntled player and who has used his status to lobby to get his kid more playing time.

Add in the fact that the Tech AD can't stand Leach and that he has pissed off the Tech administration by continually interviewing for other HC jobs and it's a powder keg. I'd love for Leach to leave Tech,but not like this and not because a Daddy is mad because the mean coach wasn't nice to his son.
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You mean ESPN...the "fair and balanced" evaluators of sports talent would do such a thing? :runaway:
 
GP said:
As a Tech fan, I had actually tired of the Leach act this season. The comments about his players' "fat little girlfriends" was the last straw for me. I think the guy is in his own world.
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The "fat little girlfriend" is actually a metaphor for player egos. At least that's what I heard from a Tech fan.

http://www.redraiders.com/2009/10/26/tech-notes-leach-not-apologizing-to-fat-little-girlfriends/

Kind of makes sense when you look at it in context.

“As coaches, we failed to make our coaching points more compelling than (the players’) fat little girlfriends,’’ Leach said. “Fat little girlfriends have some obvious advantages. For one thing, their fat little girlfriends are telling them what they want to hear, which is how great you are and how easy it’s going to be.’’

Tech was a three-touchdown favorite and lost 52-30 to the Aggies, ending the Red Raiders’ 12-game home winning streak and knocking them out of the major national rankings.

Leach said he’ll do all he can to keep another letdown from happening.

“As coaches, we have to solve our failure on reaching them, and the players have to listen,’’ Leach said. “I’m willing to go to fairly amazing lengths to try to make that happen. I don’t know if I’ll be successful this week or not, but I am going to try and there will be some people inconvenienced, and if it happens to be their fat little girlfriends, too bad.’’
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I guess it was his mistake for not clarifying that point. But then again that would be pretty PC of him to do that.
 
Leach filed an injunction to coach the Alamo Bowl.

LUBBOCK, Texas -- The lawyer for Mike Leach says the suspended Texas Tech coach did nothing wrong in how he treated a player with a "mild" concussion, and Leach is seeking a court's help in allowing him to coach in the Valero Alamo Bowl on Jan. 2.

Attorney Ted Liggett said Tuesday that keeping receiver Adam James inside during practice due to the injury was better for the player than letting him remain outside.

James is the son of ESPN college football analyst Craig James.

University officials suspended Leach on Monday while the school investigates complaints from James and his family about how the player was treated.

The motion for a temporary restraining order, which would allow Leach to coach in the bowl game, was filed Tuesday in Lubbock, Texas. No date has been set for a hearing in the 99th District Court.

In the filing Leach says he "would never intentionally harm or endanger a player" and that he has been "forced into this situation without being afforded any process."
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http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/bowls09/news/story?id=4779341
 
Did anybody get the feeling that Gerald Myers has been looking for a way to get rid of Leach for a while?

I dont think Myers wanted to pay Leach after last years great season but was forced into it because of pressure from some of the alumni.
 
They talked about this last night on Eric Winston's radio show. He said something to the effect (not an exact quote), 'Leach wants Pirates on his team. He found out this kid wasn't a Pirate because Pirates don't get locked in closets.'

Winston is a funny funny dude.
 
My 2 cents.

If you have a player that is playing the injured card for any reason. Send him to the trainers. If he doesnt work hard then cut his scholarship. If thats not an option for whatever reason then dont play him.

Leach put himself in this position by not doing the right thing. I am not saying I think he should get fired over it, but he opened the door up to something like this happening.
 
Super Mario said:
My 2 cents.

If you have a player that is playing the injured card for any reason. Send him to the trainers. If he doesnt work hard then cut his scholarship. If thats not an option for whatever reason then dont play him.

Leach put himself in this position by not doing the right thing. I am not saying I think he should get fired over it, but he opened the door up to something like this happening.
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That kind of where I'm at on this thing. Leach screwed up bigtime and (my :twocents:) did it on the wrong guy who seems, IMO, have football priorities where they need to be in terms of 'team' or maintaining his scholarship.

I can't blame Craig James for firing off in favor for his son, any father would do the same thing, but he (Craig) is the posterboy for getting more than just a scholarship, I'll bet he knows that but also know ESPN will do (as they did this morning) back him up totally in the name of good sports journalism. :dontknowa

I kind of see it like a battle of attrition in that who fails the least wins.
 
The fired him "with cause" so they don't have to payout his contract. However, I'm not sure if they can do that prior to determining any wrongdoing by him.
 
I don't know how I feel about this. On the one hand, it's gonna be great not having him coaching quarterbacks and running his offense against A&M anymore, but on the other hand, the better the competition the better it is for us and for the Big 12 as a whole. Not too mention he brought a lot of attention to the conference and to Tech by some of his mannerisms.

I don't like that the AD Myers pounced on this and used this as the impetus to fire him though. I think it was clear with his contract issues earlier that Myers has been trying to get rid of him, and to do it with this is just yellow and cowardly.
 
This is going to start getting fun!

http://www.examiner.com/x-24096-Texas-Tech-Red-Raiders-Examiner~y2009m12d30-Texas-Tech-vs-Team-Leach

Texas Tech has bumbled its way into a public relations nightmare. The more information that comes out, the more it looks like the James family has vastly overstated the facts. Many people in Lubbock would go so far as to say Adam and Craig James have lied. Let's see, the "shed" turns out to be a garage, the "electrical closet" turns out to be the visiting coaches media room. This is the same room that Mack Brown and Bob Stoops would use when they visit Tech. Also the "guards" have turned out to be athletic trainers with instructions to check on Adam James regularly.
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Tech now has just created the most damaging story in the University that I can recall. Myers and Hance just pissed off 95% of the student body, most of whom could care less if James was being truthful or not.
 
Hoth-Boy said:
Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Craig James at SMU the years that led to the "death penalty"?
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he wasn't found to have committed any infractions though so this doesn't really have any relevance to Leach getting fired...
 
Hoth-Boy said:
This is going to start getting fun!

http://www.examiner.com/x-24096-Texas-Tech-Red-Raiders-Examiner~y2009m12d30-Texas-Tech-vs-Team-Leach



Tech now has just created the most damaging story in the University that I can recall. Myers and Hance just pissed off 95% of the student body, most of whom could care less if James was being truthful or not.
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I think they also pissed off any chance of remaining competitive in the Big 12.

This is gonna make recruiting tough and I wonder how many players will ask to transfer - not to mention they lose a damn good football coach. Crazy or not.
 
pbat488 said:
he wasn't found to have committed any infractions though so this doesn't really have any relevance to Leach getting fired...
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The question was was James on the team that year SMU got the death penalty, and the answer is yes.
 
What coach will want to go to Tech now, especially since all it takes is a player's parent to complain before they suspend and terminate you? They had no hearing and gave Leach no chance to explain. As much as I despise him, I hate to see him get railroaded like this.
 
Hoth-Boy said:
This is going to start getting fun!

http://www.examiner.com/x-24096-Texas-Tech-Red-Raiders-Examiner~y2009m12d30-Texas-Tech-vs-Team-Leach

Tech now has just created the most damaging story in the University that I can recall. Myers and Hance just pissed off 95% of the student body, most of whom could care less if James was being truthful or not.
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For the unaware, putting the subject in a darkened room is a NORMAL disgnosis / evaluation / treatment regimen for someone with a potential concussion.

Administrators rearely care about irritating the student body, but if the Alumni start jumping on that bandwagon...look out.
 
disaacks3 said:
For the unaware, putting the subject in a darkened room is a NORMAL disgnosis / evaluation / treatment regimen for someone with a potential concussion.
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While that's true to a certain degree, generally there's a bed to lay down or at least a chair to rest in. In this case, there was nothing for James to sit down on.

**********

I think something Dickie Justice said on 1560 kind of makes sense. He said that Leach being "quirky" thought that this might be a clever way to discipline the kid. Obviously it backfired.
 
Texan_Bill said:
While that's true to a certain degree, generally there's a bed to lay down or at least a chair to rest in. In this case, there was nothing for James to sit down on.

**********

I think something Dickie Justice said on 1560 kind of makes sense. He said that Leach being "quirky" thought that this might be a clever way to discipline the kid. Obviously it backfired.
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Ask Justice about the dwi, arms, burglarly thing is happening for UT "students." You will hear they were innocent. In fact the mafia is impressed.
 
Texan_Bill said:
While that's true to a certain degree, generally there's a bed to lay down or at least a chair to rest in. In this case, there was nothing for James to sit down on.
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According to Daddy. Again, the only public knowledge of the events in question is from the parents.
 
Texan_Bill said:
While that's true to a certain degree, generally there's a bed to lay down or at least a chair to rest in. In this case, there was nothing for James to sit down on.

**********

I think something Dickie Justice said on 1560 kind of makes sense. He said that Leach being "quirky" thought that this might be a clever way to discipline the kid. Obviously it backfired.
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One would assume that if James was indeed in the visiting coach's media room, there might be a chair or two.
 
Things have sure come along ways since I was a kid . I think what he did was wrong but the big mistake was who he did it to . I also see young James having to leave TT because he just got the best coach they ever had fired .

In the end , they were both over reacting .

As far as SMU getting the death penalty ... that was after both James and Dickerson ended up there . Around the same time a guy named Michael Carter showed up to along with a FS named Russell Hopkins I think .
 
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Stemp said:
According to Daddy. Again, the only public knowledge of the events in question is from the parents.
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Don't misunderstand, I'm not siding with Daddy or his ***** ass son. I think Earl (2 posts above) summed it up nicely. Poor decision by Leach and an over-reaction by Daddy.
 
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