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Video shows Leach berating Texas Tech players
By Chip Brown
March 11, 2010
Videos of former Texas Tech football coach Mike Leach from the 2009 season show the coach directing players who are part of the "God squad" how to pray and also threatening the "living situation" of some players because, "Last time I checked, we' re paying the [expletive] bills around here."
The videos, taken by a Texas Tech film crew inside the postgame locker room after games against Baylor and Kansas, were obtained by Rivals.com under the Freedom of Information Act.
Leach was fired as coach at Texas Tech in December with four years remaining on a five-year $12.7 million. He was accused of mistreating receiver Adam James, son of ESPN broadcaster and former NFL standout Craig James, who was recovering from a concussion. The school contends it owes Leach nothing. Leach has sued the school for breach of contract, slander and libel and claims he is entitled to the $10 million that was left on his contract plus damages.
Leach is expected to be deposed on Friday in Lubbock as part of a lawsuit. A gag order has been placed on the mediation by the judge overseeing the case.
After a 20-13 victory over Baylor on Nov. 28, 2009, Leach is seen for several minutes using expletives to criticize his players for thinking they're "too good" to play Baylor and for an up-and-down season.
"There's a couple of you guys that your current living situation is going to change," Leach said. "We've got several of you, particularly on offense, all you do is pull mediocrity out of one another. Well, you're going to live somewhere else. Last time I checked, we're paying the [expletive] bills."
After a 42-21 victory over Kansas on Oct. 31, 2009, Leach directs some of his players, whom he calls "God squad guys," to direct those prayers "towards football."
"What does God say? 'If you're lukewarm, I'll spew you out,' " Leach says. "... If you're a defensive player, I don't need one side of the brain on playing defense and one side thinking, 'Oh gee, I wonder, this. I wonder that. I wonder the other thing.' No, no. Screw that.
"Your whole head's got to be on defense. Your whole head has to be on offense. Your whole head for that play has to be on special teams. If you're not doing that, you guys who are throwing the book around all the time, you're defying the book."
Leach said Thursday he could not comment on the video because of the gag order. Texas Tech athletic director Gerald Myers, reached in Kansas City at the Big 12 tournament, also declined to comment because of the gag order in the case.
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Expansion talk forcing Notre Dame to consider joining a conference
USA Today
March 11, 2010
At the end of the last century, Notre Dame came close to giving up its football independence and joining the Big Ten before its trustees decided against the move.
Now the Irish are being forced to reconsider its position with the Big Ten and Pac-10 talking about expansion and some uncertainty where the world of college sports is headed. Speaking at the Big East tournament, athletic director Jack Swarbrick said the looming realignment changes could be "relatively small ... or they could be seismic."
Staying with other independents Navy and Army may not be in their best interests, however. If the Big Ten and Pac-10 expand to 12 teams or more, that could create scheduling issues for the Irish and limit their ability to compete for the national championship and BCS berths.
Also, Notre Dame only earns about $9 million from its television contract with NBC. They could earn up to $20 million with membership in the Big Ten.
"You have two conferences [the Big Ten and SEC] that have separated themselves economically and you've got all the other conferences lined up for their [upcoming television] renegotiations," Swarbrick said. "The bar has been set so high, and the [current] media market is so tepid, that it creates a lot of tension."
Staying with the Big East could be a concern as the other leagues possibly take teams for their expansion.
"What if realignment impacted the shape of the BCS?" he said. "Also, the Big East has been a great home for us [in other sports], but if there are fundamental changes to the Big East as a result of realignment, what does that do? What if a few conferences further distinguish themselves from the field? What are the competitive ramifications of that?
As recently as last December, Swarbrick was singing a different tune when asked about joining a conference.
"Our strong preference is to remain the way we are," Swarbrick told the Chicago Tribune at the time. "Independence is a big part of the tradition of the program and our identity. We'd sure like to try to maintain it."
Swarbrick said Tuesday, he and university president Rev. John Jenkins will evaluate whatever changes occur and assess how they effect the school. "You can each come up with a scenario that would force our hand."
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