Mike Leach has been suspended from all duties as head coach for the Red Raiders while an investigation is pending from a complaint filed by a player and his family. Ruffin McNeill, the defensive coordinator, will replace Leach this Saturday night in the Alamo bowl against Michigan State. No further information is known at this time as the university is declining comment, citing privacy concerns.
Leach and Texas Tech have seemingly had a strained relationship the last few years, with Leach’s awkward courtship for the Auburn job last season and difficulty in signing a renewal of his contract earlier this year.
Maybe the powers to be in Lubbock are taking no chances in the post Mangino climate, since alledged abuses on players by the former Kansas coach came to light the past few weeks. We’ll keep you updated as more information breaks.
h/t: OU Ron
UPDATE: It has been confirmed by ESPN that the player in question is Adam James, the son of ESPN analyst and former SMU running back Craig James. It’s reported that James, a sophomore wide receiver, was excused from practice by doctors concerned over a possible concussion and an elevated heart rate. When he came out on the practice field, Leach told a trainer to take James the darkest place and make sure that he could not sit or lean for three hours. James wound up in an electrical closet and confined for three hours. Reports of him being waterboarded seem to be exaggerated, although the confinement seems to have happened on two occasions.
Leach’s attorney is now in the process of trying to have the suspension lifted. Craig James, who was scheduled to work the Alamo bowl, will not do so now. Damn.
UPDATE:
The Texas Attorney General will represent Texas Tech University before a judge tomorrow morning in San Antonio against Mike Leach, who is seeking a court injunction to bar the university from suspending him. According to online blog of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, Leach’s attorney will argue that the coach’s contract with the university does not empower the school to suspend him.
In other news, ESPN.com’s Joe Schad is reporting that Leach’s attorney now expects that the coach will be fired from the university — perhaps with cause — as a result of this incident. Regardless of the outcome, the end result of this situation is that Leach’s market value as a head coach is virtually zilch, his reputation damaged beyond repair.
Interestingly, Texas Tech will owe Leach a longevity bonus of $800,000 if he is employed as head coach as of January 1, 2010.
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