Mike Leach

[Archaea]

Mike, you just torched Seattle, and Seattle's employment law analysis, to the extent it exists even superficially, ignores analysis of "for cause" but I'm no expert on Texas law in that realm.

According to Seattle, no good ole boy network exists in Texas, and you can never piss them off by wanting more money.

[SeattleUte]

Mike Leach is extremely popular among fans? You don't say. Who cares what fans think. Most of them are morons. What pecentage of a university's constituency are "fans"? A miniscule fraction. To take an example, Michigan's research budget alone is $1 billion per annum. It's entire DI sports budget about $70 million. The engineering department alone is 2.5 times as big. Wikipedia.

"Good ol boys" wanted Leach fired? Those good ole boys were the administrators of Texas Tech's really important work. Those emails do not reflect poorly on them, only on Mike Leach. That is part of the evidence of Leach the rogue, bullying coach. I don't blame them for wanting him gone.

As for MikeWaters' "employment law analysis," it depends on making up facts. Apparently Leach didn't talk to Texas Tech either when they tried to investigate the situation. He started a lawsuit instead. I know this much about employment law. I have yet to see anyone stay employed who sues their employer. It inevitably becomes a money issue. Foolish pride. Now he's damaged goods.

[MikeWaters]

Originally Posted by SeattleUte

Mike Leach is extremely popular among fans? You don't say. Who cares what fans think. Most of them are morons. What pecentage of a university's constituency are "fans"? A miniscule fraction. To take an example, Michigan's research budget alone is $1 billion per annum. It's entire DI sports budget about $70 million. The engineering department alone is 2.5 times as big. Wikipedia.

"Good ol boys" wanted Leach fired? Those good ole boys were the administrators of Texas Tech's really important work. Those emails do not reflect poorly on them, only on Mike Leach. That is part of the evidence of Leach the rogue, bullying coach. I don't blame them for wanting him gone.

As for MikeWaters' "employment law analysis," it depends on making up facts. Apparently Leach didn't talk to Texas Tech either when they tried to investigate the situation. He started a lawsuit instead. I know this much about employment law. I have yet to see anyone stay employed who sues their employer. It inevitably becomes a money issue. Foolish pride. Now he's damaged goods.

College football is a big business that is important in many ways. Do I have to be so pedantic as to explain it to you?

Why are college football coaches paid more than university presidents?

Leach will be hired by a school that wants to make a name for itself, that wants to win, that wants their players to graduate.

Shame that Utah can't surpass Texas Tech in its graduation rate. I guess Whittingham doesn't give a damn about his players.

[MikeWaters]

If you were Leach's lawyer, would you have advised him to sign a document that stated he did wrong sufficient for being fired with cause titled "apology to the James family"?

He signs it, he's fired.

He doesn't sign it, he's fired.

[Cali Coug]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

If I were the James kid, I would drop out of school immediately and go into hiding. And perhaps even petition Obama for relocation, new identity, and plastic surgery.

Texas Tech just fired their Bear Bryant. I don't imagine that they will be nearly as good going into the future.

Agreed. If TT knows what is good for it, they will go hard after Chris Peterson. And pay him a lot. Peterson would be crazy to make that move, but perhaps if the price is right...

[Cali Coug]

Originally Posted by SeattleUte

Mike, ultimately, you ARE part of the herd.

Here is a more or less complete list of reasons for Leach's overwhelming support on BYU sports boards:

He is LDS

He went to BYU

He has never coached in a BCS bowl

He was "screwed" by a BCS/Big 12 formula last year

He thinks college is only about football

He coaches a 2-3 tier program in an isolated backwater and has overachieved

He favors a strong offense and passing game, and defense is an afterthought

Craig James is a BCS homer

He is a lawyer

He never played; went from being a fan to a coach


The Legal & PR case against Mike Leach is very simple. It has two prongs:

First, a kid reports a symptom, the physician diagnoses a concussion, and as a result the kid is subject to humiliation and obloquy. I don't care if Leach put him in the Ritz Carlton. It's like separate but equal. If this kind of thing were countenanced, there would be a chilling effect on kids reporting and treating concussions. Yes, there was torture. It was psychological.

Second, this is an instance, recurring in DI college sports, of the bully, rogue coach. The coach who lets success on the field go to his head and comes to believe he's bigger than the thousands or tens of thousands of students, the hundreds of millions or billions that a university raises and spends on education and research. Who holds up the university for astronomical raaises, then won't play by the rules, tries to humiliate and puff himself up against adminstrators and educators, and abuses his players.

(I use "success" advisedly. Since Leach became a martyr his supporters have turned his record into a work of genius. Except last year, the record was not spectacular. Actually, neither was last year.)

Come on, SU. We both know this one settles, and TT pays Leach a handsome sum to walk away. TT will be mired in litigation (and recent emails tend to suggest the "good reason" justification was more contrived than real), and they stand a decent chance of losing that battle, although they are helped if Leach agreed to arbitration.

The pressure on TT will be intense, and it isn't just BYU fans who support Leach. It is most college football fans, and particularly those in Texas. The AD won't survive this, and it is likely the chancellor won't either. TT will want nothing more than to pay Leach to go away as soon as possible and hush him up. If the leaked emails are any indication, TT administrators are morons who don't know emails are discoverable and discovery is going to suck for them. A lot.

And "torture?" Sheesh.

[MikeWaters]

You know what is funny?

Craig James is widely rumored to want to run for the U.S. Senate.

I didn't think there could be a bigger douche than Rick Perry. I was wrong.

[MikeWaters]

Leach interviewed by the NYT.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/01/sp...l/01leach.html

I'm looking forward to this thing going to trial. Or Leach getting double the payout he was otherwise going to get.

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

Leach interviewed by the NYT.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/01/sp...l/01leach.html

I'm looking forward to this thing going to trial. Or Leach getting double the payout he was otherwise going to get.

Those emails are damaging. I'd take Leach's case on contingency.

/Seattle would too.

[Cali Coug]

Originally Posted by Archaea

Those emails are damaging. I'd take Leach's case on contingency.

/Seattle would too.

Anyone would. This thing is settling for a great payday for Leach.