LEACH AND TECH AGREE TO EXTENSION

In an otherwise slow news day, the biggest story of the offseason might have finally been concluded, as Mike Leach and Texas Tech have agreed to an extension this afternoon.The contentious negotiations, that had many people believing that it would lead to the dismissal of Leach, ended up being solved this afternoon, as athletic director Gerald Myers and Leach’s agent Gary O’Hagan of IMG came to an agreement on an extension that will keep him at Texas Tech through 2013.According to the Dallas Morning News, the two sides agreed to remove some of the controversial provisions that had Leach and his team walking away from the negotiations after coming close to signing a contract weeks ago. Specifically, the buyout clause that Tech officials wanted was removed completely.Leach agreed that he would tell school officials and Myers any time he was going to interview for another job, but didn’t need to receive permission. Also, Leach and the school reportedly met in the middle when dealing with revenues from personal appearances and other personal property rights.This is a huge victory for both parties, and specifically athletic director Gerald Myers, who was looking at walking away from the best coach in Texas Tech history, and a man who single handedly brought Tech both athletically and academically farther along than any coach in school history.