Mike Leach: Maybe Texas Tech will 'deliver the check' he feels he's owed after 2009 firing

STARKVILLE — Mike Leach hasn’t forgotten about the money he feels Texas Tech still owes him.

The Mississippi State football coach was fired in 2009 after the Red Raiders said he mistreated Adam James, a player who had suffered a concussion, by putting him into an electrical closet for hours. Leach has disputed that account over the years, but Texas Tech still fired him for cause — negating much of a five-year, $12.7 million contract signed in February 2009.

But Leach feels he’s owed some of that money. If he had remained at Texas Tech on Dec. 31, 2009 — a day after Leach was fired — he would have received an $800,000 bonus. All these years later, as Leach prepares Mississippi State to play Texas Tech in the Liberty Bowl on Dec. 28 (5:45 p.m., ESPN), Leach is still waiting for a check.

“You know, great school,” Leach said Saturday. “I’ve got great memories there. They still owe me for 2009, the last time they won nine games, so maybe they’ll deliver the check. So we’ll see what happens there.”

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In 2017, Leach hired Dolcefino Consulting, a firm in Houston, to dig into public documents related to Leach’s firing in 2009, when the Red Raiders went 9-4. Leach believes he’s still owed about $2.5 million.

Leach had another lawsuit in 2010 dismissed from court because it was deemed Texas Tech had sovereign immunity that prevented it from having to pay monetary damages for a breach of contract.

“Mike will go to his death demanding the truth and demanding they pay him what they owe him,” Leach’s investigator, Wayne Dolcefino, told USA TODAY Sports in September 2020. “I’ve got no indication that coach Leach isn’t prepared to fight the war until he dies.”

The Liberty Bowl will be the first time Leach has faced his former program on the field. Still, Leach said there’s no extra motivation for Mississippi State (7-5) to win the game just because Texas Tech (6-6) is the opponent.

“You’ve gotta be motivated for everything you do,” Leach said. “There’s no real extra reserve for motivation. You try to improve and be the best you can every day.”

Leach views the Liberty Bowl as a chance to set the stage for 2022 and beyond. And the matchup should have intrigue for both fanbases, he said, even as Leach plays down the personal significance of facing Texas Tech.

“I think it does for the fans, I think it’ll probably bring some fans,” Leach said. “I think both schools will probably travel pretty well.”

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Mike Leach: Texas Tech still owes me for 2009 firing