Mike Leach FIRED according to ESPN

[SavannahDare]

No, it was his decision to take his employer to court that got him fired...

Unless you have inside information that the rest of us don't, you can't say this with any level of certainty.

They may have found out more information they felt gave them enough reason to terminate him. Firing him without that, just for his filing of the restraining order, will cost them BIG TIME once he does sue them for wrongful termination.

My guess is, with the 31 December date and $800K bonus due on that date if he's still employed, they moved uber fast to dig up every last shred of evidence they could to justify firing him. We'll all be made privy to those juicy little details in the weeks to come, I would suppose.

To me, neither TT, James, nor Leach comes out of this smelling like a rose. Something is rotten in Denmark. Leach is a total eccentric (albeit a talented one) and should've handled the situation differently. James is a wuss and should be ashamed of being such a li'l tattler, and Texas Tech is hypocritical given how a closet fails to hold a candle to the stuff Bobby Knight has proven to be capable of over the years.

 

[Giant Squid]

My guess is, with the 31 December date and $800K bonus due on that date if he's still employed, they moved uber fast to dig up every last shred of evidence they could to justify firing him.

I'm betting this is dead on. A wise man once said, "The answer to all your questions is 'money.'"

Search acronym thread. Already discussed and will be used.

I'm just worried that the ladies on the board might find CUM in poor taste.

 

[NYBamaFan]

Unless you have inside information that the rest of us don't, you can't say this with any level of certainty...

I am not certain, but I would bet a whole lot of money on it...

 

[Bama323]

I recognize that the prevailing opinion on this thread is pro-Leach and honestly comes across as "Why wasn't James tough enough to practice with a concussion?"

There doesn't seem to be any disputing that he had one. In 2009, if a player has a concussion, it is a medical issue, not a discipline issue. Period. Does anyone seriously believe that Leach did what he did as a form of "treatment"?

I think Coach Saban is a pretty hardnose coach (and I'm glad of it). He deals with discipline issues well. I have little or no doubt that as long as the doctors said there was a concussion, his response would never be to go stand in a shed/equipment room/whatever for three hours.

Clearly Leach had worn out his welcome with his AD and this gave the AD the opportunity. He'll have to sue for his buyout as this is a termination for cause.

I liked the line on ESPN last night that the Alamo Bowl is a team without players vs. a team without a coach.

The question now really is, were Leach's actions serious enough that the school could legally fire him for cause. That's not going to be an easy case for the school to make. I think most everyone can read between the lines and see what's really going on. This firing was less about the treatment of the player, and more about the discontent between Leach and the Tech administration.

 

[BamBam57]

It just seems to me the James kid is a little soft or spoiled. I don't think Leach should have been fired.

 

[twofbyc]

I recognize that the prevailing opinion on this thread is pro-Leach and honestly comes across as "Why wasn't James tough enough to practice with a concussion?"

There doesn't seem to be any disputing that he had one. In 2009, if a player has a concussion, it is a medical issue, not a discipline issue. Period. Does anyone seriously believe that Leach did what he did as a form of "treatment"?

I think Coach Saban is a pretty hardnose coach (and I'm glad of it). He deals with discipline issues well. I have little or no doubt that as long as the doctors said there was a concussion, his response would never be to go stand in a shed/equipment room/whatever for three hours.

Clearly Leach had worn out his welcome with his AD and this gave the AD the opportunity. He'll have to sue for his buyout as this is a termination for cause.

I liked the line on ESPN last night that the Alamo Bowl is a team without players vs. a team without a coach.

I haven't gotten that from any post on here...and anyone who really thinks Leach punished James because he had a concussion, well...interested in some waterfront?
I don't think anyone on here thinks this was something other than what it was; James being a prima donna and getting brought down a notch, and he couldn't handle it. I think the fact he had a "mild" concussion had absolutely nothing to do with what happened; he could have had a bruised shoulder or any other injury. He got punished because of his behavior and his attitude, not his injury.
Read the posts from Graham Harrel, other coaches and players.

 

[bayoutider]

There doesn't seem to be any disputing that he had one. In 2009, if a player has a concussion, it is a medical issue, not a discipline issue. Period. Does anyone seriously believe that Leach did what he did as a form of "treatment"?

No he didn't do it as a form of treatment but he didn't do anything we know of that caused him any physical harm, there were trainers with him in case he fell asleep on his feet, fell over and bumped his head. Leach was making another point with Adam reminding him who was in charge.

 

[bmcklv]

putting a kid who has been diagnosed with a concussion in a dark room, alone......

This is a false statement. There was a registered, certified trainer in the room with the kid.

 

[bondsdw]

This firing was less about the treatment of the player, and more about the discontent between Leach and the Tech administration.

This. I feel like they saw an opportunity to get rid of Leach with this whole ordeal and eagerly took it, no matter how much wrong Leach actually did. For the life of me I can't figure out why they wanted to get rid of him, but they did. I understand that he's eccentric and probably a pain to deal with sometimes, but he made Texas Tech football successful. Successful football programs = money = happy administration. Plus hey, who doesn't think pirates are at least a little cool, right?

 

[tambo410]

This is a false statement. There was a registered, certified trainer in the room with the kid.

from what I read the trainer was outside of the room... That said, as a former athlete, I can think of a lot worse punishments for lazyness than being forced to stand in a closet

 

[BAMAFAN IN NY]

I'm just worried that the ladies on the board might find CUM in poor taste.

:eek2:

 

[BevoDan]

Leach has been in 'hot water' for some time now. This is just the type of excuse that TT needed to get rid of him.

 

[NYBamaFan]

My guess would be that they are going to use this as the "last straw" in a long list of things that Leach has done to damage the reputation of the university. He is the face of the school, and I am sure that he has a clause in his contract that covers things like this and is written in vague enough terms as to be applicable almost any time.

They owed him $800k tomorrow, so the firing was clearly to pull that money into the negotiations for a payout (assuming the school is smart enough to negotiate a settlement). Had they waited one more day, it would have been paid out in addition to any settlement.

 

[REBELZED]

I think Leach brought this on his self Starting with job hunting with out Texas Tech Permission, calling players girl friends "fat little Girl Friends" and putting a kid who has been diagnosed with a concussion in a dark room, alone, standing and being told that if he left the room he would be kicked off the team.

Sorry, but this is spreading misinformation. James had a trainer, a GA and an under-grad assistant with him both times he was "secluded." It also hasn't been proven that he was forced to stand or that any threats about kicking him off the team were made. Watch the local news video in the other thread to see the supposed "shed" and "electrical closet."

I think a lot of people are taking the dramatic ESPN headlines and forming their own conclusions about what happened, then turning around and spreading those ill-conceived notions as fact...

 

[kfo9494]

Maybe this is not the right thread but I was thinking who would want the Tech job and how can the AD get out of this mess.
Tubs would be a good fit at Texas Tech-- Plus this might take some heat off the AD.
Anything less than a proven winning coach the AD looks even more stupid.

 

[Giant Squid]

:eek2:

I'm not fishing for a reaction here; this is serious business!

I'm definitely not a fan of Urban Meyer, and the less I see of CUM on my personal computer (and particularly public computers), the happier I'll be.

 

[BAMA 22 HEISMAN]

One piece of speculation I read on a couple of forums was that the James kid had the concussion and went out drinking and partying the night before practice. Came to practice the next day with his black sunglasses on but the coaching staff already knew what he had been doing the night before and they were very unhappy.

Now IDK if he deserved to be put in a closet as punished but it is hard to believe that Leach who was there for 10 years all the sudden starts going overboard in disciplining players in this manner at the flip of a switch.

Of course maybe he was really mad and said I am really gonna punish this kid. But I could "we heard" all day. The point is there is more to this story than ESPN is reporting and I have a feeling it is all going to come out in a nasty way.

If this post has to much hearsay please feel free to delete it. I was just posting what I read on other sites and you can take it with a grain of salt.

 

[jeremy]

For the life of me I can't figure out why they wanted to get rid of him, but they did.

Like Fran at Texas A&M, Leach didnt fit in with the culture. Both were kinda weird. And those Texas good ole boys want somebody they can talk to about oil, hunting and golf.

 

[NYBamaFan]

...I think a lot of people are taking the dramatic ESPN headlines and forming their own conclusions about what happened, then turning around and spreading those ill-conceived notions as fact...

Just as a lot of poeple took an internet post that said that James was out partying and spreading it as fact?

 

[bayoutider]

He is the face of the school, and I am sure that he has a clause in his contract that covers things like this and is written in vague enough terms as to be applicable almost any time.

Good Lord man, if you have your own law degree and your own lawyers do you sign a contract with vague language???? Another Darwin award is forthcoming.