Former Texas Tech Coach Mike Leach Gets Appeal Denied

According to ESPN, a Texas appeals court threw out former coach Mike Leach's breach of contract claim against Texas Tech on Friday. However, it said he could still pursue non-monetary claims against the school over his controversial 2009 firing. ESPN states "University attorneys had argued that Leach could not sue the school because Texas Tech is a state entity with sovereign immunity, meaning it can only be sued with permission from the state Legislature or a waiver based on a defendant's conduct." Paul Dobrowski, Leach's attorney, said he plans to appeal the issue to the Texas Supreme Court.

House Criticizes Leach

House Judiciary Committee member Linda Sanchez criticized the hiding of injuries in sports after hearing testimony Monday on Texas Tech's firing of coach Mike Leach.
Referring to the Texas Tech incident involving wide receiver Adam James that led to Leach's dismissal in December, Sanchez, D-Calif., said at a Manhattan forum that players, assistant coaches and trainers should not have been silent concerning James' concussion.
Leach was fired on Dec. 30, two days after he was suspended amid allegations of mistreatment of James. Leach has continually denied that he mistreated James and has stated publicly that the $800,000 bonus he was due on Dec. 31 is the reason for his firing. His lawsuit includes allegations of libel and slander and breach of contract. Leach had just completed the first year of a five-year, $12.7 million deal that came after months of negotiations. Since the lawsuit began, those have come under fire as a contentious precursor to Leach's firing.

This is part of a story from ESPN.com.

Now I think it is terrible that sports have come this far that people are faking injuries. I don't believe Leach when he says he was keeping James out of the light when he put him in the shed and I believe Leach did this to discourage James from telling people that he had a concussion. Leach is a crazy competitor, and sadly, he will probably get another job somewhere and be just as brutal. Hopefully it's not anytime soon for the sake of the kids.

Mike Leach hearing on Friday

Mike Leach, former Texas Tech head coach, is ordered to return to Lubbock on Friday for a hearing handling his lawsuit against the university. Mike Leach currently lives in Florida with his family, and has declined to comment about the case this past Monday.

Mike Leach was originally fired this past December on allegations for mistreating a player who had suffered a concussion. The Texas Tech football player, Adam James, is also the son of ESPN analyst and former NFL player Craig James. Adam James claimed he was forced to stand for hours confined to a dark place during practice. Twice.

Leach denies these allegations and expects he was fired due to the fact he was supposed to receive a $800,000 bonus the next day December 31. Leach is suing Texas for breaching their contract and slander.

Tommy Tuberville settles in at Texas Tech

Tommy Tuberville is the new head coach at Texas Tech. After Tuberville spoke to a few thousand people at alumni/fan events, he threw out the first pitch at the Texas Tech baseball team's season opener last week. Tuberville has tried to get comfortable at Texas by immersing himself in all of the sporting events and stating, "It's been really good. I go out and shake hands and do all the things you need to do from a PR standpoint. I tell people who we are and what they can expect. I've been all over Texas speaking to Kiwanis clubs and Lions clubs."

This is the first coaching job for Tuberville since December of 2008, when he stepped down from the position at Auburn. Tuberville is replacing Mike Leach, who had been quite successful at Texas giving a big challenge for him to face. We'll have to wait and see if Tommy will come through for the Red Raiders this season.