Should Mike Leach have been fired by Texas Tech?
Wed Dec 30, 2009 2:36 PM EST
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Should Mike Leach have been fired by Texas Tech?
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It appears to be a he said/she said thing. It also appears that the school is trying to get out of the bonus that is owed the coach while still hoping to hold onto the popularity that he brought to the program and the school.
What happened to innocent until proven guilty? I hope that if he is found to not have done some questionable things, that since he wont be able to go back to coaching the Red Raiders, he gets LOTS of money from the school and the AD is gone.
Spaz
I have no remorse for your situation TT. Your coach should have just cooperated from the beginning, his pride prevented that. you people don't understand that Leach is not the boss. In our daily lives, or in any life, we cannot under mind our boss. Leach said he would sue his boss before he got fired. Now if you were the boss, wouldn't you do the same and fire this goof.
Also, why are y'all bagging on ESPN? ESPN doesn't care what little lubbock thinks. ESPN is THE sports network and wont go under because a bunch of hicks from Lubbock think they should have some entitlement. Go ahead don't watch ESPN, nobody cares. Your program is a second rate program to begin with. TT newsflash, you are not a national power. You have a gimmick offense that it great against bad teams. once you actually play someone who plays gasp! Defense, you all can't do anything. Your program belongs in 1-AA, then you fools can be happy. If you don't like it, again nobody cares about you Lubbock.
Those are very mean spirited words and even though I didn't go to Texas Tech, I loved watching them play. I graduated from Texas but remember who beat Texas and ruined their chance to be in the championship game last year?????????
Sounds to me like Leach was doing nothing more than trying to teach a spoiled child (of a celebrity sportscaster) some team participation/spirit... I hope the remaining players on Tech's team walk off the field in Saturday's bowl game. What a waste of a great coaching talent.
Craig James was a nobody before he was hired at ESPN, and hardly ranks as the greatest anything that SMU ever had on the field. he spent his football years whining and griping about Eric Dickerson and telling people how great he was rather than showing greatness on the field. His brat has learned from the best and I'm sure that james and his son are smiling and thinking they got Leach for mistreating the lazy angelic son of a blowhard, but the laugh will be on them. Adam James will NEVER play a down in the NFL, and he will be lucky to ever play a down in college in the future, while Leach will be a head coach again very soon, and possibly of an NFL team even, and Texas Tech may have saved $800K they think, but when its all over and done they will pay Leach at least half of his $12 million dollar contract, and if any man on the tech football team has a pair, he will tell the powers that be at Tech to suck eggs and refuse to dress for the bowl game, making Tech forfiet and really show that players have some power in collefge football.
So, even if any or all of that were true, none of it justifies abusing a student athlete. Leach should never coach again.
That's assuming that it was abuse. That has not been demonstrated, at least not to a level that would pass muster in a court of law, which is where this whole thing is heading and quickly.
It was not abuse. Come On! He wasn't beating or punching or even spanking that little whiny cry baby. Although somebody should have cause his fairy father obviously wasn't. Its called discipline and training. Especially for someone that is known among his peers and other staff members to not be a contributor to the team. And this world needs a little more discipline. And now Leach is the one that deserves a public apology from Myers and Hance as well as that James family. I hope the James family gets Black Listed from anything related to football.
He didn't abuse the kid at all. The kid got punished two days before the concussion treatment. The doctor verified that it was proper treatment for a "mild" concussion. The spoiled brat turned it into a "punishment" thing in order to get back at the coaches that punished him a couple days before. Read a friggin unbiased news report and you would know this. I am so upset with how ESPN has covered this entire thing. If this doesn't show that ESPN is a baised news source, I don't know what does.
I don't think Leach should be exonerated for this conduct, but there are many possible approaches, such as counseling, a letter of reprimand, a fine, etc. that would seem more appropriate than firing a successful coach based on a complaint from a single player. The athletic director has potentially prevailed in a personal vendetta when he should have been playing the leading role in seeking a solution fair to the player, coach, and protecting the best interests of the institution. IF anyone should have been fired, I'd have voted for it to be the AD.
And the chancellor and president for going along with him, since this is likely to cost the school quite a lot more money than the $2m they would have been out had they just fired him next month.
It is now confirmed: Kent Hance is an idiot.
Confirmation that Hance was an idiot happened for me way before this happened.
I wasn't there, but based on Leach's unconventional coaching style and reputation, I don't believe he was "abusing" but instead "coaching" a young athlete who by all accounts was difficult to deal with and felt a great sense of entitlement. This impression is from living in Lubbock and hearing from football players who knew both.
Since Coach Leach is also a lawyer, I suspect this will not end well for Texas Tech. And their recruiting season just tanked also. I hope it doesn't go on too long because watching a Leach team play is just too much fun. Good luck to him wherever he ends up. Now maybe playing Tech won't be such a b*%ch!
Unfortunately, you're probably right. Sonny Dykes might be the best choice to replace Leach, since there's little hope of Cap'n Mike, the Prairie Pirate, coming back.
Here's the funny headline: "Tech Makes Leach Walk the Plank"
The more I read about this, the more I'm inclined to side with the school in axing Mike Leach. It is quite obvious he took the player's injury too lightly and that was only his first mistake. His ordering other staff members to put the injured player in a dark room without immediate medical attention by professionals is inexcusable. Leach can appeal his firing to all higher courts he wishes but I'm afraid these actions will be futile.
Bud, did you go to any effort to look for facts, or just assume that James told the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? Leach sent a player who claimed to have a concussion but came to practice anyway into a quiet, dark environment WITH medical supervision, which is exactly what he should have done in that situation.
If Tech doesn't settle with Leach, they will get shredded in court.
What I've been reading or hearing is there wasn't any abuse. ESPN and it's sister stations and publications are definitely slanted. There hasn't even been an investigation yet. Gerald Myers the AD is just a vindictive man with no guts. He didn't even tell basketball coach James Dickey that he was fired when he announced that Bobby Knight was the new coach. This is not a reflection on Bobby Knight's ability just an example of Myers approach. Dickey was replaced during the conference play offs and now Leach before a bowl game. I'm so glad Tech puts its students in turmoil when they should be enjoying their college career. It's the student athletes especially the seniors that I feel sorry for most of all.
I hope that the Craig James realizes that his son will probably not be playing college or pro football ever again. Employers of any type will also be wary of hiring him.
You need to read the whole story again. The player did receive medical attention...that is why he showed up at practice in sun glasses....the doctor told him to avoid bright lights....wonders if that includes television interviews too????..they use really bright lights for tv interviews. It is a sad day for anyone when one player and family can get a coach fired anywhere. I realize Mike Leach could have signed the letter they presented him this week, but if he didn't feel he did anything wrong, why sign it? I say fire the AD and Craig James.
Again, another clueless person adding his jist to the plot... were you around and able to read past the alcohol fumes emminating from your breath, the fact that Adam James was injured elsewhere and showed up with a note NOT to play... the only thing Leach used was poor judgement in assigning James to a dark room to "do whatever" slackers do. My personal take is that Adam James is a closet homosexual.
First there goes the next century in football for Tech,no one will work for a money grubbing collage who lies to there employees and fires them for no reason.I hope Tech tanks forever!
Second never again will Tech have a quaterback for the ages,if they are lucky enough to fill a team!
I hope Tech doesn't tank forever (since I'm an alumnus and lifelong fan), but it's clear that today the program has been set back 15 years at the least.
What the fans ought to do at the Alamo Bowl is voice their disapproval of Adam James. I for one (even though at home watching TV) will boo every time he gets the ball.
Have signs to fire Gerald Myer and Craig James, plus have the pirate flags hung upside down.
You are making the assumption that Adam James will even play in the game. If his concussion is as bad as his family is making it out to be, he shouldn't be cleared medically to play.
Fire Craig James and fire the Tech officials who made this monstrous decision. I will not watch ESPN again as long as that arrogant scumbag works for their network.
I don't see enough evidence to fire Leach. We need more facts to form an informed decision.
Gee--why don't we just focus on the sports teams of our universities and forget the academics. Seems the schools themselves have contributed to the problems of sports. Why in blazes should a coach be the highest paid person on a univerisity's staff? Sounds to me like the emphasis is on the wrong objective. Universities are in the education business! Let's get the focus back on academics and put sports where it belongs. Look at how many sports players can't even use the English language properly. Duh! I am acquaninted with a local university coach who can't even understand the basics of simple math! How did he ever get the job?!
Whether we like it or agree with it, sports brings big bucks into the universities coffers that the AD's use to fund sports all the way down to the intramural (sp) level. I live in Montana and the Grizzlies football stadiujm holds 25000+. Now that is nothing compared to a large FCS school but after expenses, at 30.00 a ticket, I have read that UofM clears 400,000.00 per home game. They have on average 6-7 home games. Do you think that they want to pay a successful coach 250-350,000.00 if it makes the school 2.4 to 2.8 million dollars a year. And that doesnt count the basketball programs, etc...
Coach Leach has brought fans and alumni backers back to the Red Raiders and that brings in monies. Of course, football coaches who are successful are the highest paid. They make the schools money.
Your points are well taken. Still, getting those priorities straight requires a cultural shift, which does not happen overnight. That said, had the Big XII taken Leach's suggestion of a tiebreaker based on team GPA, Tech would likely have won the South in 2008. Tech does a lot of work to make sure its players are succeeding in class. (Byron Hanspard was an exception, but that was on Spike Dykes' watch.)
BW-267706, Coach Leach was very focused on the education of his players.
"Former coach Mike Leach's Texas Tech football program had the eighth-best graduation rate in the country (79 percent), according to the NCAA."
Well, Gerald Myers has successfully taken Texas Tech back to the good old days when Tech somehow had Donny Anderson, but could not beat Texas or Arkansas and was only in the hunt for the Sun Bowl. This was a tempest in a teapot generated by two giant egos - Gerald Myers and Craig James. Myers was a fair basketball player from Borger, Texas who played at Tech, and was eventually a mediocre coach. James is famous for being one of the pros at SMU that brought about the Mustangs death penalty. Two losers.
I rate this right up there with Dallas firing Tom Landry. I hope the Red Raiders fans show their "support" for Gerald Myers by boycotting the Alamo Bowl and by withdrawing support for the school. Money talks and bullsh** walks.
Gerald Myers was a rube basketball player and is a rube athletic director. I'll not darken anything Texas Tech until Myers is gone.
And if Kent Hance is part of this clusterfu**, I hope he wakes up with a bas case of monkeybutt.
Attention Red Raider Club. If you don't STRONGLY condemn this action, take me off your mailing list. Same thing to the Ex Students Association. No money from me until you bounce Gerald "pencil di**" Myers.
Fire the bum. He put a young mans health and safety at risk so he could continue on as the loser we all know he is.
Geez. You have no clue about the facts, do you? Talk about a loser.
I fail to see how he put the young man's health at risk????? The doctor told him to avoid bright light and Coach Leach was just making that possible. Granted it was a "little" extreme, but the kid didn't belong on the field and from what I read he was flaunting it by wearing the sun glasses and mouthing off in the first place. I hope he is happy now because he will never play football again...who the heck would want him on their team....have to clear everything thru Daddy before you can make the kid do anything.
This reminds me of when Phil Simms got his son, who was and is a mediocre QB at best, promoted over Major Applewhite at Texas. Since when do these ex-NFL commentators have this much influence over the programs where their over-privileged and under-talented kids play football? Chris Simms has had a totally lackluster career in the NFL and if he was the son of a nobody he would already be selling cars or insurance somewhere. I doubt that Adam James' career will even be as good as Simms'. This just goes to show that in big time college football you can be a winner on the field and still lose out to politics. Bad move Tech. What kind of coach would want to walk into your program now? This AD better hope that the fans are ready to accept the program taking a major step backwards for the next few years. My bet is they aren't.
As a college professor it amazes (and gauls) me that coaches can say and do practically anything to a student and get away with it. Coaches can berate, assault, threaten and punish students generally without fear of recourse and in the next breath claim to be educators. If I, as a professor, even thought of saying or doing some of the things I have seen and heard of coaches saying and doing to students I would be summarily fired, sued and arrested. Leach should not only be fired but he should be sued for false imprisonment and arrested for kidnapping. That is exactly what I would be talking to attorneys and prosecutors about if I were the student's parents.
You are assuming he did what this kid says even though other athletes and coaches are countering his claims.
Bob G: As a former teacher and coach I am appalled at your lack of knowledge and understanding of athletics and the law. I seriously doubt your ability to be a fair unbiased "educator" based on your own statement. I would not attend your classes. Would you have me arrested for impeding your freedom of speech? The law says innocent until proved guilty. Nothing has been proved yet except Tech AD overreacted to a claimed mistreatment, that appear to be unfounded. The doctor already stated that Leach's action was appropriate. Don't state your opinion as fact, when you are obviously opinionated and uninformed of the facts.
It's "galls". "'As a college professor it amazes (and galls) me..."
College professor, eh? Apparently not a professor of ENGLISH...
Jodeman: If my son presented me with this situation, I would be doing exactly as I said: pursuing both civil and criminal actions against the coach. Evidence to the contrary always exists and can always be impeached..and could even be wrong!!
Larry C 44: Your response is basically babble. I stated nothing as fact! I simply stated that based on my experience I would respond in the manner stated. Your obvious lack of knowledge of the law explains some of your response. I did not convict the coach; I merely stated that I would gladly give him his day in criminal and civil court to determine the truth. It only takes allegations and probable cause to instigate civil and criminal actions, respectively. The coach obviously thinks he is entitled to the law to advance his postition on a contract. Guess what? The student is entitled to the same law as to other civil and criminal matters! Just what special laws exist or are ignored in this situation simply because college athletics are involved?. Does it sound like the student expressly or implicitly consented to this treatment? How you present such as non sequitor (sp?) as being arrested for impeding freedom of speech is totally beyond me and the events of this situation!? Take my classes and you just might learn something other than the conclusions you have already formed (which are basically nothing but an attack on someone else's opinion). I think a jury might find that one doctor's claims that the actions are appropriate might just be a little biased or wrong or irrelevant and immaterial to the actions I have proposed. Gee...do you think there might even be another opinion as to this matter? Or does the student not get the right to even present another opinion? Do you think because you are a coach that you are exempted from the law?...or investigations, criminal and civil, that may be warranted by your actions?
Sorry Malvie.....and no I am not an English professor....You are correct that the proper spelling is gall not gaul.....
Lets see if I can beat Malvie to the punch......the word is position not postition...sorry all you spell checkers out there....lol
Coach Leach might not be exempt from the law....but he is innocent until proven guilty. At least that is what I learned when I went to school....then again, not sure you took English in school....."exempted".....where did you come up with that????? What classes do you teach? I want to be sure not to take any of them...LOLO
Sorry Donna...my editors are on vacation for the holidays LOL...notwithstanding the english....the coach is innocent until proven guilty.....in a court of law...no one has formally charged him with any criminal actions...yet....
(I really love those people who attack the miscellaneous procedure of a comment but cannot comment with any substantive propriety...) Please tell me you have never made a spelling mistake or used a term incorrectly....I really haven't learned anything from you except a tiny little grammatical issue....Happy? I assure you that you could learn more from me....
Bob... Bob... Bob! Your so-called education is nothing more than wanna-be pseudo babble as well. When you've finished your education and have 20 plus years under your belt... then, and only then can you make such assinine assumptions regarding the law. Any yard dog with a little training can be a lawyer and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see the mess TT is in. One way or the other, Justice will prevail... and me thinks Leach is looking pretty good about now.
Dear Karma -- Please visit the James' along with Gerald Myers IMMEDIATELY!!! And Tech...you might as well stop building the stadium because you just lost A LOT of support and money!!!
I see Bob and Phil are members of the "everything James says is true" club. Did you folks miss the part where a team doctor stated that Leach's actions were, if anything, beneficial for the player? That bit of info didn't get much air time on Daddy's television station, so it's understandable if you missed it.
I would let a jury determine the truth.
Why? I've seen plenty of evidence that you don't believe anything you've just said!
Think people are missing the point here. Stop blaming the victim. The Coach seems to have a sense of entitlement, too! ~ but he's an adult and should have some life experiences that tell him he needs to temper his attitude.)
The University has an obligation to protect its students. The policy to have a doctor sign-off before a student athlete can resume play after an injury seems only prudent and fair to all. What's wrong with the Coach that he wouldn't agree to that?
Head injuries are nothing to fool with. There are far too many cases of athletes becoming permanently brain injured. I don't get the point of what the dark shed served here, except to humiliate the player with the head injury. Doesn't the Team and the University want a Coach who respects the players?
Uhh, Adam James is 21. Last time I checked, we consider our kids adults at 18. They can vote, die over seas, and get married, own a house, etc... As a football player, you accept risks to your body and health.
If he had a head injury, and the pounding headache that comes with that, dark quiet places are great for your well-being. Ask my wife who has debilitating migraines and sleeps them off in dark, quiet places.
He didn't play and that's what he is whining about.
Midwest Teacher: You are the one missing the point. The coach did not play Jamesinjured. He sent him to a quiet darkened room with trained medical supervision. The player could walk on his own. Did somebody claim the "shed" was locked or the player restrained against his will? The coaches "entitlement" is a signed contract that says the school once thought he was qualified to make player decisions, including who plays and when. If they have changed their mind, the coach is still under contract until it is proven in court that he is unfit.
Leach never had a kid play before a doctor released him. That isn't even an issue in this circumstance. Leach wasn't playing AJ. Kid violated team policy by wearing sunglasses, Leach said if his eyes were light sensitive, he would send him where it wouldn't be an issue. BFD.
Another clueless idiot!
A physician had signed off for him to return to practice. And he had a physician and three trainers near him during his time in the training room in which he was confined.
How can anyone answer this yes or no? You should have another option - "Not sure - dont have all the facts". There arent enough details publicly about what actually happened. Let it go to court and let the court decide based on all the facts.
Which is where I am. I say they shouldn't have fired him...yet. This was jumping the gun before finger touched trigger.
If you read above J Lynne you will see that someone has already stated the facts.
He didn't abuse the kid at all. The kid got punished two days before the concussion treatment. The doctor verified that it was proper treatment for a "mild" concussion. The spoiled brat turned it into a "punishment" thing in order to get back at the coaches that punished him a couple days before. Read a friggin unbiased news report and you would know this. I am so upset with how ESPN has covered this entire thing. If this doesn't show that ESPN is a baised news source, I don't know what does. You need to read the whole story again. The player did receive medical attention...that is why he showed up at practice in sun glasses....the doctor told him to avoid bright lights.
I agree that both Gerald Myer and Craig James should be fired. How dare you Craig James air out your mess on ESPN last night during the Football game Arizona against Nebraska. You really have NO CLUE and you need to get one. If you are so almighty why didn't you send your child to your Alumni SMU like most Parents do. How much money are you giving your Alumni if any. It amazes me how people like you think you can do what you want and feel no repercussions. You should have taught your children better that life is what you make of it and nothing is going to be handed to you. You have to work hard for what you want in life.
I have been to a lot of Tech games and have seen a lot on TV I have heard your comments on ESPN about your son playing football for Tech. I think if I was Mike Leach and his attorney I would pull every game you were a commentator at.
Also, bring all the football players back that have played under Leach and let's see what they say. It's like Lou Holtz said how can you have a man coach your team for all these years Leach has a pristine record. That will be something Texas Tech will never be able to take away but, will get to benefit from.
Go Mike Leach and may the FORCE be with you... It was a Very Very sad day when they fired you. I would like for you to go coach the Gators if Meyers steps down to take care of his health.
Also, I would like to see as well as some others for the team not to play the Bowl Game. Either he is your coach and your behind him as you would be your team or your not. It's all about sportsmanship the definition of TEAM is Together Everyone Achieves More....
Seems to me this is "he said" vs. "he said" without the investigation being completed. At the end of the investigation etc....it may well be that Leach needs to be fired.... I just think that the action is premature until all the facts are known... and stories corroborated.....
This is supposed to be a country that was built on innocentg until proiven guilty.