Mike Leach resurfaced old wounds about his public termination from Texas Tech University after he claimed the University still owed the remainder of his contract. He has hired a team out of Houston to investigate his case in hopes of getting what he said is owed.
“Texas Tech as an institution, they hide behind some nuance Texas state law called sovereign immunity that allows them to flat out cheat you out of the contract and it’s ridiculous,” Leach said. “I think people are tired of it and I want to expose as much of it as I possibly can, so that’s part of what this whole effort is.”
Leach coached the Red Raider Football Team for ten years, all coming to an abrupt end in 2009. He was accused of mistreating player Adam James by putting him in a dark room after getting a head concussions on the field. Shortly after, the University issued a termination for the head coach.
“They say I mistreated a player,” Leach said. “Then in his deposition, Adam James said he was never harmed and that he thought it was funny and so he was never harmed. I never put him anywhere. I just told the trainer to get him off the field. The trainer told him to go stand over in a parking garage.”
Leach was also accused of cursing at his boss at the time, TTU President Kent Hance, after he was fired. Leach denied those allegations as well.
“I wouldn’t out of respect for the position, and it never happened,” Leach said.
Leach filed a lawsuit on these allegations that went to the Texas Supreme Court. Records show it was dismissed.
Now as the head coach for Washington State University, he said he is determined to get the remainder of his contract after the most successful season for Texas Tech football. Leach and his representative Wayne Dolcifino told EverythingLubbock.com they are investigating and will expose wrongdoing at the university.
“I plan to expose that they never have arrived at any cause or completed investigation on the subject and worse they can’t even select a reason,” Leach said. “They bounced back over the years hoping something would happen, and literally nothing happened and I did nothing wrong. They were upset that I wouldn’t sign a low-ball contract and they were embarrassed and they cheat me out of what they agreed to pay me.”
“Texas Tech has been offered a choice, pay the guy,” Dolcifino said. “People in Lubbock work hard. If you worked hard and weren’t paid, you’d be mad too. This guy was leading the Red Raiders in the best season in their history and then they cheat him. They’re going to pay him back or we’re going to find out the truth of what happened.”
Although this incident happened under the Hance administration, current TTU officials gave EverythingLubbock.com a statement in response these allegations.
“Mike Leach was paid everything due to him under his contract as of the date of his termination. The facts and circumstances that led to his termination for cause are clear. He admittedly ordered that a student-athlete with a concussion be placed in a darkened area – not an athletic training area – and forced to stand. This occurred on two occasions. Further, when Texas Tech tried to assist Coach Leach in resolving the matter in a reasonable way, he refused. This led to his suspension for the 2009 Alamo Bowl game. Rather than accepting his suspension and moving on, he chose to sue Texas Tech, making it clear that not only was he unrepentant for his actions, but that he was unwilling to cooperate with Texas Tech regarding student-athlete safety. This led to his termination. The courts decided this case years ago, and there is nothing more to add.”
Dolcifino and his team were in the Hub City Saturday during the TTU Homecoming game to rally fans together in support of Leach. They have started a petition to raise awareness on their case, called “#PayCoachLeach”.
Dolcifino said similar events could be expected in the future.
