Mike Leach Says He Was 'Cheated out of' Contract Salary at Texas Tech

Former Texas Tech Red Raiders head coach Mike Leach told USA Today's Brent Schrotenboer he still harbors resentment toward his ex-employer because he believes he was "cheated out" of portions of his salary.

Leach, who is now the head coach for the Washington State Cougars, claimed Texas Tech owes him $2.5 million following his firing in 2009 for allegedly mistreating Adam James after he suffered a concussion. 

"This thing won’t really go away," Leach said. "And it’ll never go away until this thing is settled. And it should be settled, because why should the future generation bear the black eye and the cloud that their university cheated their most successful coach in history? And why should I bear that, some of the 10 most productive years of my career? I was cheated out of my salary, and all the great memories that I, fans, players and coaches had, are diminished."

Leach was fired eight years ago after he allegedly told a team trainer to take James, who could not practice because of a head injury, "to the darkest place, to clean out the equipment and to make sure that he could not sit or lean," according to ESPN.com. 

However, as Schrotenboer noted, allegations levied against Leach were never substantiated. 

"I didn’t lock Adam James anywhere. I didn’t tell Adam James to go anywhere," Leach said. "I told the trainer to get him off the field."

Leach proceeded to sue Texas Tech for damages, but lost and was later denied an appeal at the state Supreme Court level in 2012. A year earlier, an Appellate Court ruled in Texas Tech's favor after Leach filed a wrongful termination suit.