What a difference a day makes. Up through last night, I had not been able to find any significant or detailed complaints against Mike Leach by player or coach, outside of James. The worm has begun to turn today, and though it will take some time for this to sort itself out, it at the least raises some questions over the Leach situation. ‘Course, this is the same coach he was when he was given an extension just eight months ago. The complaint of James’ media member father seems to have been a lonely one until the firing was done, and now that Leach is out, it reminds me of the way carrion fowl know when a critter is dead, and then begin to pick at the carcass. Why was the University so completely unconcerned with the habits of the man whose contract was famously extended only months ago? If this was on the radar, it ought to have been dealt with according to a process that gave both the coach and those who had complaints about his behavior and tactics a process to follow in reviewing the facts of the case before action was taken – whether that action was new guidelines and policies, suspension for a period, termination or no action at all. The way it comes off now, at least to me, is that the school reluctantly signed Leach to an extension at a point where his market value was very high. Unhappy that he’d talked to other programs to establish market value and gather information about other programs, the administration in the Tech athletics department singled Leach out, with no process to gain a fair review or inclusive hearing. Oh, and then there was that one factor that reeks like a road kill skunk after a week in the West Texas sun: Leach was due an $800,000 bonus if he were to be the head coach at Tech on Thursday, 12/31/09. This was a clause, by the way, inserted at the insistence of the school, still concerned about the potential for big offers from bigger programs. Leach was suspended because one player and his father complained. Dozens of players and coaches and former players backed Leach and indicated James was a grouser, averse to hard work, whiny and a sea lawyer to boot. Leach has an 83-43 record, a 5-4 bowl record, the second-highest winning percentage in school history (record set in the 1940’s). Graduation rates are up and have remained consistent under Leach. Why was it such an emergency that the Coach be given the summary boot, right NOW, without any process for addressing what he believed to be an unfair situation without any due process? Was that $800k he would earn by remaining with the team for another week?
Mike Leach might need to be disciplined. He might need to be fired. But for a school to extend a contract, offer a large bonus to keep the man from listening to other offers in a year he was in high demand, by offering him nearly a million dollars just to give a major incentive to Leach not to listen to suitors. it smacks of bad faith to me. And the taste left behind by terminating him the afternoon before his bonus was to be paid, when he had complied with the terms – against his own best interests as the school first suspended him without a process available to him to appeal without going to court. I can’t help but feel that the big shots at the top of the Tech Admin and Sports admin were looking for an excuse . If it turns out Leach is the sort of ass being asserted, i don’t care that they bagged him. But why no rumors before this? Why just one player and his former NFL dad? Why does he have a reputation that has been regarded as quirky but good among players, coaches, recruits, media,. etc. for years? MB
Ashley Dawson KOMO TV
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