Tech Students React to Coach Leach's Rant
By: Lisa Carr
Updated: November 12, 2007
Red Raider head coach Mike Leach is facing a fine or possibly suspension for bad-mouthing the referees after Saturday's game against Texas. If you didn't catch it., Coach Leach spoke candidly with the media for a good 15 minutes claiming the officiating was unfair. The Big-12 League does have a policy against coaches commenting publicly on officiating, but so far there's been no word on any possible punishment for Leach from league officials. Tech students had mixed reactions to Coach Leach's post-game comments.
"I think that he should be disciplined in some way," says one Tech student. "It gives a bad name to Tech if you have a coach who's bad-mouthing and all this. There's ways you can do things and maybe he didn't do this the right way." Another student adds, "I didn't think the refs did a very good job so, yeah he should have the freedom to say whatever he thinks about the refs." And, one other had this to say, "He made it clear that it wasn't anything to do with UT, that they won fair and square. He said that he had never blamed a loss on officiating in the past and he bit his tongue last year and he regretted it and I think he sould have spoken up because I don't think it was fair."
We're told Leach could face a fine or even be suspended from the next game. In 2004, Kansas Coach Mark Mangino had to a pay a $5,000.00 fine for bad-mouthing the refs. A decision on Leach's punishment is expected from league officials as early as Tuesday.
