If you were unaware, Mike Leach and the University of Texas Tech have been in a legal battle concerning wrongful termination since he was let go back in 2009. Leach was in the middle of a five-year, $12.7 million contract when he allegedly locked a concussed player in an electrical closet because he needed to be in a dark room if he couldn’t practice. Leach has been adamant that the incident never occurred and that his termination was unjust, therefore he is owed at least $2.5 million. Leach claims to this day that no investigation was ever conducted into the “electrical closet” incident and bashed former Texas Tech Chancellor Kent Hance, claiming that TTU has illegally hidden public records from he and his attorney.
The Mike Leach v. Texas Tech Saga has been one of the more interesting things to follow off-the-field in college football over the past decade, but on Tuesday, the two will meet on the field. Mike Leach and his Mississippi State Bulldogs are set to clash with the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl tomorrow night in Memphis, Tennessee.
Today, during media availability, Leach was asked how long he was will battle Texas Tech in court.
“Forever,” Leach said. “Why not? I mean, what do I got to lose? I don’t have anything to lose. I mean, they cheated me out of $2.6 million, plus four years remaining on my contract.”
“I’ve been willing to settle this thing for a long time, but they don’t seem to be willing to. I think that’s unfortunate. I think all the people there are great. Some of the leadership, at least when I was there, was very sleazy and slimy and dirty. I enjoy naming names on it too, which I might as well. They all know who they are. We should get this thing settled. They should pay me. And we should all celebrate achievements together. But that doesn’t seem to be what they have in mind.”
Leach filed a lawsuit back in 2017 to obtain access to records related to his firing from the university in 2009. When Leach’s attorney submitted a public information request to retrieve the investigation documents, Texas Tech said there were none.
“They lied about having an investigation, and then they won’t produce the documents to prove they had an investigation,” Leach said. “It just goes to show you how Kent Hance and some of his little cronies, how sleazy those guys are. So let’s go ahead and see it. And of course, it’s going to illustrate that they lied to the fans and everybody else. And then they continue to hide documents from everything from sexual assault to everything else.”
This exchange, of course, adds to the intrigue of the Liberty Bowl matchup, but the rivalry between Leach and the Red Raiders goes far beyond the gridiron.
“I think settling for $2.6 (million) is very generous on my part, and the hiding of documents becomes even more disgusting, because that shows a level of corruption,” Leach said. “I wouldn’t even rule out some criminal prosecution on the thing. We’ll see how it unfolds.”
