Mike Leach: an Embarassment for Miss State - Printable Version
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Mike Leach: an Embarassment for Miss State - Snorlax94 - 04-08-2020
I can’t believe people here like Mike Leach. He is a racist and an a-hole and a piece of sh!t excuse for a human being.
I hope KJ reconsiders. I always said a coach has a big impact on a student athlete’s development into a man and that no parent should let their child be influenced by Leach.
Leach has already damaged their recruiting probably for a decade, embarrassed his university, alienated his program from his community, and has just put a brobdingnagian, brobdingnagian target on his team for some pissed off opponents. Leach should pray there is no college football this fall — qbs 5 deep may not be enough for the revenge people will take out on his team.
Mississippi State Football Coach Must Visit Civil Rights Museum After Noose Tweet
Mike Leach shared a meme on Twitter of an older white woman under quarantine knitting a noose for her husband. He later removed the post.
The first-year football coach at Mississippi State University has been reprimanded and must visit a civil rights museum after he recently shared a meme on Twitter of a woman knitting a noose, the university’s athletic director said this week.
The coach, Mike Leach, 59, who has since apologized for the post, also must participate in a series of listening sessions to “expand his cultural awareness” of the state, John Cohen, the athletic director, said in a statement on Tuesday.
The meme, which Leach posted on April 1 and later deleted, featured a black-and-white image of an older white woman with knitting needles. Its caption read, “After 2 weeks of quarantine with her husband, Gertrude decided to knit him a scarf.”
But instead of a scarf, a hangman’s knot was on the woman’s lap, an image that critics said was highly offensive and evoked the lynchings of black people in the Deep South. At least one player on the football team has announced his plans to transfer because of Leach’s tweet.
...
Fabien Lovett, 20, a defensive tackle who grew up in Vicksburg, Miss., responded to his coach on Twitter with an expletive. Lovett said in an interview on Wednesday that he was upset by Leach’s tweet and was seeking to transfer because of the post.
“We’re in the South,” Lovett said. “We’re in Mississippi. Stuff like that plays a brobdingnagian role in our family, especially black men. Our ancestors were lynched.”
Lovett said he was dissatisfied with the university’s response and with Leach’s apology, which he described as insincere.
“That’s the prime example of why I need to leave Mississippi,” he said.
RE: Mike Leach: an Embarassment for Miss State - JohnR34231 - 04-09-2020
(04-08-2020, 09:23 PM)Snorlax94 Wrote: I can’t believe people here like Mike Leach. He is a racist and an a-hole and a piece of sh!t excuse for a human being.
I hope KJ reconsiders. I always said a coach has a big impact on a student athlete’s development into a man and that no parent should let their child be influenced by Leach.
Leach has already damaged their recruiting probably for a decade, embarrassed his university, alienated his program from his community, and has just put a of immense proportions, of immense proportions target on his team for some pissed off opponents. Leach should pray there is no college football this fall — qbs 5 deep may not be enough for the revenge people will take out on his team.
Mississippi State Football Coach Must Visit Civil Rights Museum After Noose Tweet
Mike Leach shared a meme on Twitter of an older white woman under quarantine knitting a noose for her husband. He later removed the post.
The first-year football coach at Mississippi State University has been reprimanded and must visit a civil rights museum after he recently shared a meme on Twitter of a woman knitting a noose, the university’s athletic director said this week.
The coach, Mike Leach, 59, who has since apologized for the post, also must participate in a series of listening sessions to “expand his cultural awareness” of the state, John Cohen, the athletic director, said in a statement on Tuesday.
The meme, which Leach posted on April 1 and later deleted, featured a black-and-white image of an older white woman with knitting needles. Its caption read, “After 2 weeks of quarantine with her husband, Gertrude decided to knit him a scarf.”
But instead of a scarf, a hangman’s knot was on the woman’s lap, an image that critics said was highly offensive and evoked the lynchings of black people in the Deep South. At least one player on the football team has announced his plans to transfer because of Leach’s tweet.
...
Fabien Lovett, 20, a defensive tackle who grew up in Vicksburg, Miss., responded to his coach on Twitter with an expletive. Lovett said in an interview on Wednesday that he was upset by Leach’s tweet and was seeking to transfer because of the post.
“We’re in the South,” Lovett said. “We’re in Mississippi. Stuff like that plays a of immense proportions role in our family, especially black men. Our ancestors were lynched.”
Lovett said he was dissatisfied with the university’s response and with Leach’s apology, which he described as insincere.
“That’s the prime example of why I need to leave Mississippi,” he said.
I don't think there is anyone on this site that particularly likes Leach. I do think people recognize the fact that he is a pretty effective football coach. After all he beat us four years in a row, and I don't think anyone would argue Wazzu had superior talent to us during that time.
Leach has gotten away for a long time with saying and doing what he wants without particularly caring if people get offended or not. Perhaps this is his wake-up call.
RE: Mike Leach: an Embarassment for Miss State - mbdude - 04-09-2020
And there is also Mike Gundy of OK State
https://sports.yahoo.com/mike-gundys-tonedeaf-rant-about-return-of-college-football-shows-hes-never-leaving-oklahoma-state-012454629.html
RE: Mike Leach: an Embarassment for Miss State - BostonCard - 04-09-2020
(04-09-2020, 04:47 AM)JohnR34231 Wrote: Leach has gotten away for a long time with saying and doing what he wants without particularly caring if people get offended or not. Perhaps this is his wake-up call.
I agree he doesn't care whether people get offended, and I don't see that changing.
BC
RE: Mike Leach: an Embarassment for Miss State - SamuelMcF - 04-09-2020
(04-09-2020, 04:47 AM)JohnR34231 Wrote: I don't think there is anyone on this site that particularly likes Leach. I do think people recognize the fact that he is a pretty effective football coach. After all he beat us four years in a row, and I don't think anyone would argue Wazzu had superior talent to us during that time.
You don't need superior talent when you play dink-and-dunk football against a prevent defense with a bad pass rush.
(04-09-2020, 04:47 AM)JohnR34231 Wrote: Leach has gotten away for a long time with saying and doing what he wants without particularly caring if people get offended or not. Perhaps this is his wake-up call.
Have to agree with BC. He has had decades of "wake-up calls." It ain't happening. In fact, I'd bet a bunch of Mississippi State faithful LOVE him for his "non-apology" to what they deem the "PC police."
RE: Mike Leach: an Embarassment for Miss State - teejers1 - 04-09-2020
(04-09-2020, 11:14 AM)SamuelMcF Wrote:(04-09-2020, 04:47 AM)JohnR34231 Wrote: I don't think there is anyone on this site that particularly likes Leach. I do think people recognize the fact that he is a pretty effective football coach. After all he beat us four years in a row, and I don't think anyone would argue Wazzu had superior talent to us during that time.
You don't need superior talent when you play dink-and-dunk football against a prevent defense with a bad pass rush.
(04-09-2020, 04:47 AM)JohnR34231 Wrote: Leach has gotten away for a long time with saying and doing what he wants without particularly caring if people get offended or not. Perhaps this is his wake-up call.
Have to agree with BC. He has had decades of "wake-up calls." It ain't happening. In fact, I'd bet a bunch of Mississippi State faithful LOVE him for his "non-apology" to what they deem the "PC police."
Leach is a horse's patoot for sure, and I've never been a fan of him coaching at Stanford.
But let me ask you this: do you really even think the notion of lynchings in the south crossed his mind when he made his attempt at virus humor? I do not. Should it have? Maybe. But if you have no history in the south, and are not prone to think along lines that "a noose" = "lynching," then I find it not all surprising. Not having a "sage, world view" about all things/issues - especially not one that comports with your own "sage ,world view" - is not a big offense in my book.
Snorlax evidently begs to differ.
Put it this way: I'm more tweaked that Stanford has lost to Leach and WSU four years in a row (could easily have been 5), even though WSU's talent was below Stanford's. I could give a rat's ass that Leach has stuck his foot-in-mouth again . . .
RE: Mike Leach: an Embarassment for Miss State - BostonCard - 04-09-2020
(04-09-2020, 01:36 PM)teejers1 Wrote: Leach is a horse's patoot for sure, and I've never been a fan of him coaching at Stanford.
But let me ask you this: do you really even think the notion of lynchings in the south crossed his mind when he made his attempt at virus humor? I do not. Should it have? Maybe. But if you have no history in the south, and are not prone to think along lines that "a noose" = "lynching," then I find it not all surprising. Not having a "sage, world view" about all things/issues - especially not one that comports with your own "sage ,world view" - is not a big offense in my book.
Snorlax evidently begs to differ.
Put it this way: I'm more tweaked that Stanford has lost to Leach and WSU four years in a row (could easily have been 5), even though WSU's talent was below Stanford's. I could give a rat's ass that Leach has stuck his foot-in-mouth again . . .
You are correct that he was probably oblivious rather than malicious. As to "having no history in the south", his wiki tells me that he did get a master's degree in Alabama, and then there was that time he spent coaching in Texas (YMMV whether that is considered "the South", but there was certainly a history of lynchings in Texas).
BC
RE: Mike Leach: an Embarassment for Miss State - SamuelMcF - 04-09-2020
Hanlon's Razor: "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity." I think "ignorance" is probably a better word choice than "stupidity" but you get the gist.
RE: Mike Leach: an Embarassment for Miss State - Papa John - 04-09-2020
If this were a first-time offense, I'd tend to agree with you teejers1. But Leach has a history of boorish behavior going back to his days at Texas Tech and also at WSU.
I don't think he's all bad. The comments about pirates, mascots, the class he taught at WSU, lots of entertaining stuff for his fan-base. But other coaches are able to be entertainers and still muzzle themselves when they know it's in the best interest of the schools that hired them.
RE: Mike Leach: an Embarassment for Miss State - slide - 04-09-2020
(04-09-2020, 02:26 PM)BostonCard Wrote:(04-09-2020, 01:36 PM)teejers1 Wrote: Leach is a horse's patoot for sure, and I've never been a fan of him coaching at Stanford.
But let me ask you this: do you really even think the notion of lynchings in the south crossed his mind when he made his attempt at virus humor? I do not. Should it have? Maybe. But if you have no history in the south, and are not prone to think along lines that "a noose" = "lynching," then I find it not all surprising. Not having a "sage, world view" about all things/issues - especially not one that comports with your own "sage ,world view" - is not a big offense in my book.
Snorlax evidently begs to differ.
Put it this way: I'm more tweaked that Stanford has lost to Leach and WSU four years in a row (could easily have been 5), even though WSU's talent was below Stanford's. I could give a rat's ass that Leach has stuck his foot-in-mouth again . . .
You are correct that he was probably oblivious rather than malicious. As to "having no history in the south", his wiki tells me that he did get a master's degree in Alabama, and then there was that time he spent coaching in Texas (YMMV whether that is considered "the South", but there was certainly a history of lynchings in Texas).
BC
BC -- I agree with you.
fwiw, Mike Leach also coached at Valdosta State (GA) in the early '90s under Hal Mumme. while he was living in Valdosta, locals held a remembrance of the 75th memorial of a lynching rampage in Valdosta. while the lynchings were just brutal, Mary Turner's murder was the worst in the rampage. she was 8 months pregnant at the time. she was tied up, hung upside down on a bridge near where her husband was hung, doused with gasoline and then burned to death. and then the story gets worse.
Leach may have missed this one annually for years while living in Valdosta, but he would have to have been under an extremely large rock to be insensitive to lynchings in the South.
RE: Mike Leach: an Embarassment for Miss State - 81alum - 04-09-2020
I have long detested Mike Leach, and not just for the many insensitive remarks he has said, and not just because he beat us quite regularly. I began to dislike him years ago when reading the accounts of some of his players. The man is abusive. Winning does not excuse it.
RE: Mike Leach: an Embarassment for Miss State - Mick - 04-09-2020
(04-09-2020, 07:15 PM)81alum Wrote: I have long detested Mike Leach, and not just for the many insensitive remarks he has said, and not just because he beat us quite regularly. I began to dislike him years ago when reading the accounts of some of his players. The man is abusive. Winning does not excuse it.
Agreed. I had the chance to visit with one of his assistant coaches from a past team, whose wife is a friend of Mrs. Mick. He's your basic tinpot tyrant whose entire world -- largely -- is his football program, where he is king, queen and jack.
I played for one of those guys in high school. What's interesting is that a bad coach at a young age gives you insights into the frailties and shortcomings of adults in ways that you don't otherwise get. Your parents and extended family love you, even the marginal teachers at least want you to do well, the parents of your friends are generally happy with you, and if you're fortunate enough to work, your boss has a fairly narrow set of rules and personality characteristics. In other words, most adults in the lives of students are largely positive.
Not so much a bad or abusive or unfair coach. When I was a sophomore, we had a varsity basketball coach in high school who demanded we run with our hands up when a teammate had the ball as if we should expect a pass at any moment wherever we were on court. Thick-headed as I am, I chose to run normally to maximize speed to cut to the basket. Whistle blows, coach grabs a fistful of my jersey and drags me to the baseline. He puts our senior shooting guard on that foul line, about 18 feet from me and tells me to keep my hands at my side. Tells the guy at the foul line (a pitcher on our baseball team, incidentally) to throw it as hard as he could at me. I could tell he didn't want to do it, but he doesn't want to be punished either so...he throws the basketball at me, splits my nose and breaks it, blood everywhere. Learned a valuable life lesson, right there.
RE: Mike Leach: an Embarassment for Miss State - 2006alum - 04-09-2020
(04-09-2020, 07:48 PM)Mick Wrote: I played for one of those guys in high school. What's interesting is that a bad coach at a young age gives you insights into the frailties and shortcomings of adults in ways that you don't otherwise get. Your parents and extended family love you, even the marginal teachers at least want you to do well, the parents of your friends are generally happy with you, and if you're fortunate enough to work, your boss has a fairly narrow set of rules and personality characteristics. In other words, most adults in the lives of students are largely positive.
Hate to be a Debbie Downer here, but this is not even close to universally true. I'm glad this was your experience, but many kids grow up with abusive parents and extended family, teachers, priests, etc. And even those kids whose parents and family are not abusive per se may suffer from an early age due to the fact that the adults in their lives have deep character flaws that render them incapable of being fully effective/loving parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc. Just think of the millions of kids who grow up with a parent who has a serious addiction, etc.
IMHO, a borderline abusive high school coach is a luxury problem, because you can always quit the team. Much harder to run away when you are 8 and your parents aren't very good at parenting, or have the wherewithal to speak out when you're being abused by your local church's priest. To be sure, those are orders of magnitude worse than Mike Leach, but unfortunately millions of kids grow up knowing firsthand the "frailties and shortcomings of adults."
RE: Mike Leach: an Embarassment for Miss State - JohnR34231 - 04-10-2020
(04-09-2020, 11:14 AM)SamuelMcF Wrote:(04-09-2020, 04:47 AM)JohnR34231 Wrote: I don't think there is anyone on this site that particularly likes Leach. I do think people recognize the fact that he is a pretty effective football coach. After all he beat us four years in a row, and I don't think anyone would argue Wazzu had superior talent to us during that time.
You don't need superior talent when you play dink-and-dunk football against a prevent defense with a bad pass rush.
(04-09-2020, 04:47 AM)JohnR34231 Wrote: Leach has gotten away for a long time with saying and doing what he wants without particularly caring if people get offended or not. Perhaps this is his wake-up call.
Have to agree with BC. He has had decades of "wake-up calls." It ain't happening. In fact, I'd bet a bunch of Mississippi State faithful LOVE him for his "non-apology" to what they deem the "PC police."
IMO, another incident like this at Mississippi State and Leach is history. I think he is smart enough to realize this. So my guess is he cleans up his act. But we'll see.
RE: Mike Leach: an Embarassment for Miss State - Mick - 04-10-2020
(04-09-2020, 07:57 PM)2006alum Wrote:(04-09-2020, 07:48 PM)Mick Wrote: I played for one of those guys in high school. What's interesting is that a bad coach at a young age gives you insights into the frailties and shortcomings of adults in ways that you don't otherwise get. Your parents and extended family love you, even the marginal teachers at least want you to do well, the parents of your friends are generally happy with you, and if you're fortunate enough to work, your boss has a fairly narrow set of rules and personality characteristics. In other words, most adults in the lives of students are largely positive.
Hate to be a Debbie Downer here, but this is not even close to universally true. I'm glad this was your experience, but many kids grow up with abusive parents and extended family, teachers, priests, etc. And even those kids whose parents and family are not abusive per se may suffer from an early age due to the fact that the adults in their lives have deep character flaws that render them incapable of being fully effective/loving parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc. Just think of the millions of kids who grow up with a parent who has a serious addiction, etc.
IMHO, a borderline abusive high school coach is a luxury problem, because you can always quit the team. Much harder to run away when you are 8 and your parents aren't very good at parenting, or have the wherewithal to speak out when you're being abused by your local church's priest. To be sure, those are orders of magnitude worse than Mike Leach, but unfortunately millions of kids grow up knowing firsthand the "frailties and shortcomings of adults."
I don't think I claimed it was universally true. I was talking in the main. My own parents were hugely abusive; multiple divorces starting when I was six, etc. it was a horrorshow. Don't need to delve into that, although I will say that my brother tried to hold up the mirror a bit to my father, mother and stepmother when he turned 40. He asked them to read Judith Wallerstein's "The Long Term Effects of Divorce" in lieu of a gift or celebration. All three refused, heh heh heh. But I don't think my experience was the average.
As for the abusive coach, quitting is not always an option. In my high school, if you quit the team, you couldn't do any other activity. In my household, you weren't allowed to quit a team. And there are time limits to a coach; they're not in your life as much as a parent, teacher or employer. My point was that exposure to a coach (good or bad) is limited compared to other adult/child relationships. The coach is there for a few hours per day, and only during the season and therefore more manageable. So your comment is not true, and I don't think it's true in the main.
Let me restate it this way: the majority of adults in a child's life are positive or at least trying to help the child improve and deal with the world. The majority of adults in an adult's life are largely out for themselves, often to the detriment of said adult. And early experience with marginal adults helps the child turn into an adult who better knows how to deal with subpar adults. And I agree with you that it's far harder to dissolve a relationship with a bad parent or teacher and the long term abuse that results from repeated ongoing exposure to those adults. Those are far worse.
RE: Mike Leach: an Embarassment for Miss State - JohnR34231 - 04-11-2020
(04-09-2020, 09:02 AM)mbdude Wrote: And there is also Mike Gundy of OK State
https://sports.yahoo.com/mike-gundys-tonedeaf-rant-about-return-of-college-football-shows-hes-never-leaving-oklahoma-state-012454629.html
Lesson from this is that if you are a football coach, keep your comments to the media centered on what you know best (football).
More trashing of Gundy.
https://www.nbcsports.com/northwest/oregon-ducks/oregon-ducks-players-call-out-mike-gundys-blatant-hypocrisy
He and Leach need to spend their downtime these days taking an on-line sensitivity course.