Mike Leach

[gd]

Can't believe there isn't already a thread on this. I should frequent the Stadium more often. Anyway, a few days ago, Leach (the head coach of Texas Tech's Football Team) was suspended for mistreatment of a player. Apparently, the kid had a concussion, and way put in a closet or something like that during practice without even a chair to sit on. Leach tried to sue the school, and eventually was fired.

There's been a lot of talk from both sides, but I don't see how Leach isn't in the wrong here. The player may have been a "problem" who didn't play hard and wasn't fond of the coaches, but that's no excuse to lock him in a closet. All of his responses to explain it have left me feeling no better about the situation. Why wasn't the player simply put in the training room? It's just a bad situation and Leach deserved to be fired.

What do you think? Should Leach have been fired? Was he even in the wrong here?

 

[capoxstatus]

Well from what has come out here in the local media here in texas, is that the university staff, the chancellor and some of the athletic bosters/alumni had grown weary of leach and felt this was a great way to get rid of leach while not looking like bad guys. This was a coach that brought the team to a top 5 ranking last year and Tech signed him to a long term contract extension, they knew what they were getting, hes an out there coach but he got results. Now that he wasnt getting results, he was getting a bunch of money from the new contract, and these allegations from said player (son of espn college analyst craig james) they fired him the day before he was supposed to get a 800k bonus. So many different angles coming from this story it could be simply they fired him because the treatment of that player but i think they were just trying to get rid of him.

 

[gd]

The thing is, even if they did just want to get rid of him, that doesn't excuse what he did. However he tries to spin it, he put an injured player in some kind of equimptment closet during practice to punish him. There is no scenario where that is the right thing to do at all.

I also find the whole money thing a little hard to believe. They just signed him to a new contract extension in February. Sure, they weren't as great this year as they were in the past, but I don't think a University would all of a sudden panic over 1 bad season. It just doesn't make any sense.

 

[capoxstatus]

Oh yea i agree with you there dude, it doesnt excuse what he did, he could of easily sent him to the locker room or the training room. But supposedly he heard from the training staff that he was cleared to play but the player said he wasnt and i guess leach wanted to punish him and sent him in there. But yea leach's people and other former players have come out and said that the player Adam James was a very lazy guy and was always trying to avoid work etc etc so the spin control is on. Leach's people even released a video showing the closet, it was bigger than one would think it was more like a big shed or something but still not a good place to send someone that was or still was hurt.

Now that i think about it the money thing maybe wasnt a huge reason but just a bonus, because he was getting on the nerves of the university, his post game comments were drawing heat from the media and staff ( i.e the fat girlfriend statement comes to mind) and then you just add this incident and i guess enough was enough.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

Uh, pretty clear what happened here. Simply a way to get rid of a guy who they wanted to get rid of. It was obvious the administration hated him this offseason, and he was gonna have to not only win games, but walk a perfect tight rope. Turns out, he didnt.

I have no doubt in mind that the kid in question just hates Leach, and saw enough of the offseason bullshit to know he could fuck the coach over. I dont feel like he was mistreated at all. People who suffer concussions have extreme sensitivity to light, thus he was put in a dark room. Furthermore, im sure the staff didnt want him distrubed while resting, which is why they locked the door, and had an athletic trainer outside the door, periodically checking on the kid. I highly doubt he was imprisioned, or held against his will.

Simply a case of having to play the game, a place were Leach slipped up. He will get hired again though, I have no doubt.