Mike Leach has built a reputation on and off the college football field. Frequently, however, his off-field antics and quotes come under fire. Such is the case right now.
Athletic Director Mike Cohen left Mississippi State for Auburn, leaving the position open at the university. So, someone asked the head coach what his pitch would be to a new AD. The ensuing quote was very Mike Leach.
Mike Leach on his pitch to a new AD: "It's a great place, It's not perfect. I would definitely purge a couple but not very many which is less than most places."
— Robbie Faulk (@robbiefaulkOn3) October 31, 2022
Not everyone was so thrilled with that comment from the head coach of the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Fox color commentator Joel Klatt decided to sound off on the quote from Leach and didn’t pull any punches:
https://twitter.com/joelklatt/status/1587205036848734208
“No coach in America gets more of a pass for speaking poorly about his players or University than Mike Leach,” wrote Klatt. “And all anyone does is praise him and laugh!
“I think it’s tiresome!”
In Klatt’s defense, it’s well documented that Mike Leach has never been shy about letting it rip, good or bad. He’s talked about players recently and called them scared. His Twitter account, well… you know how that goes. You’ll hear him react to things at press conferences and it definitely doesn’t always go the greatest.
Leah has had a lot of people laugh with him also at times, so Klatt raises a good point. Of course, whether you believe he’d say that if Fox had the broadcast rights to the SEC, is entirely up to you. Klatt’s been very complimentary of them this year though so that stands as a narrative buster there.
Either way, this is a very public callout by Klatt. A rebuttal from Leach may be waiting in the wings. If it’s like his other press conferences, he might have quite the response.
