After ten years of moderate to great success, the heads at Texas Tech have fired Mike Leach “for cause” over allegations that he secluded wide receiver Adam James in a dark closet when he refused to practice following a mild concussion. There’s still a lot to be determined in the case, the main thing being whether James was made an example of because he refused to practice with an injury or because he was lazy and complained too much.
What’s most surprising is that Leach was let go over something that, at worst, should have resulted in him having to agree to some counseling. I figure there had to be something more going on. Leach is no stranger to unusual punishments, having once required a player to complete his homework while seated in a desk at midfield… while it was snowing.
After some hard-nosed investigative reporting, I’ve uncovered other strange methods of discipline Leach has used over the years. All of these, combined with the current events, are no doubt what led to his termination:
*Required players who constantly asked how much longer practice would last to keep track of the time using an hourglass and a sundial.
*Offensive linemen who let someone shoot the gap between them were handcuffed together for 24 hours.
*When a player complained about a sore arm, duct-taped that arm to the boy’s body, forcing him to use the other one. That player was former Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell, who prior to the incident was left-handed.
*Players who constantly whined like big babies were given a duffel bag full of diapers, frilly rhumba panties, etc. and sent off to spend the weekend with their “fat little girlfriends.” Or, in some particularly harsh cases, their EX-girlfriends.
*After their humiliating loss to Oklahoma at the end of last season, locked the players in a room that played Michael Crabtree’s game-winning TD on a continuous loop, cruelly reminding them what success felt like.
*Receivers who kept forgetting their routes had to get them tattooed on their hands. Then, just to screw with them, they were forced to wear gloves.
*Players who broke team rules were forced to “walk the plank” (off a diving board into a swimming pool). What made the punishment psychological was that the pool was full of leaves and, prior to the event, players had to watch THIS SCENE over and over.
If any players wet themselves, Leach would then say, “That’ll just let him know you’re scared.”