Mike Leach's New Tx Tech Contract Has Updated Marketing Clause

Mike Leach Signs New Five-Year, $12.7M  Contract With Texas Tech

Texas Tech Univ. (TTU) football coach Mike Leach Thursday signed a new five-year contract worth $12.7M that includes a new clause related to his marketing rights, according to Brandon George of the DALLAS MORNING NEWS. Leach will "maintain his personal property rights, as he has in his previous contract." However, Leach and TTU agreed "to share marketing responsibilities for him between Tech-hired Learfield Communications and Leach's IMG agents Gary O'Hagan and Matt Baldwin" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 2/20). In Texas, Don Williams reports TTU and Learfield will control items including "uniform and apparel contracts and the coach's television and radio shows." Leach will keep the rights to "items such as books and various IMG-arranged income opportunities" (LUBBOCK AVALANCHE-JOURNAL, 2/20). In Ft. Worth, Dwain Price reports a sticking point in the contract talks was that TTU in an earlier version of the deal "wanted to own Leach's personal property rights, naming rights, his likeness and any money generated from books and movies, and TV and radio appearances." However, TTU Chancellor Kent Hance said that was "misconstrued, so they agreed to keep the parameters of Leach's previous contract." Hance: "The main thing we’re trying to do is that last year we felt like Mike was not marketed as well as he should have been. We’ve got a new marketing group (Learfield Communications) coming in, and we plan to market him" (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 2/20). Hance jokingly said during Thursday's news conference, "We never wanted book rights or movie rights. I might have wanted a walk-on part in the movie, though" (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 2/20).