The note couldn’t have reeked any more of Donald Trump if it was delivered wrapped in a toupee or posted at YoureFired.com.
Four years back, “The Donald” reached out his friend Donna Shalala, pleading the case of Texas Tech captain Mike Leach. Trump felt Leach was the perfect hire for the University of Miami, but the top brass wound up going with Randy Shannon after it was reported that Leach tanked in his UM interview.
Stories vary regarding Leach’s sit down with the UM folk, though the Palm Beach Post now reports that nobody showed up in a Hawaiian shirt, flip flops or scared off the administration with any tall tales. The issue in 2006 was confusion over salary as well as former athletic director Paul Dee not believing there was as much interest coming from the other side of the table.
“Mike’s a fine guy, an interesting guy, but we just didn’t get the sense that he was as interested as we had been led to believe,” said Dee.
“We were serious about him, though. We wouldn’t have interviewed anybody we weren’t seriously thinking about.”
Four years later, UM again doesn’t appear interested in Leach, this time with folks close to the situation citing that no coach with any baggage will be up for consideration. (Leach was fired by Texas Tech for allegedly locking a player in an electrical closet over a disagreement, though strong evidence supports Leach’s cause that he’s innocent.)
Of course all of this is much to the chagrin of The Donald, per the handwritten note to President Shalala on the above Sunday copy of the Palm Beach Post. The note read:
Donna, You made a big mistake when you did not take my advice and hire Mike Leach of Texas Tech – look what’s happened to them since he left … hire Coach Leach and you’ll be #1 … and you can now get him for the right price. – Best Wishes, Donald
Trump also made sure to underline “Shannon fired” in the story’s headline.
Adding insult to injury, a lead story titled “Reversal of Fortune”, praising first-year Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher for snapping the Noles’ six-game losing streak to the Gators, en route to clinching the school’s first ACC title game birth since 2005.
GRUDENGATE LATEST: The University of Miami has issued a release stating that there is no press conference scheduled for Wednesday, though a team meeting has been called for 3pm ET on Thursday. While some want to speculate it could be a Jon Gruden team introduction, many believe it’s simply a team meeting for interim head coach Jeff Stoutland.
Miami athletic director Kirby Hocutt reported has met with Gruden, but there’s nothing new to report. The interviewing process will continue and UM will continue the process of meeting with other potential candidates.
“As we said at the beginning of the process, Kirby Hocutt will not comment on the search for a new head football coach until the process is completed,” per an email sent out to the media via the university today.
UM has also stated that the coaching search could go into next week regarding interviewing more potential candidates.
More come come on the Gruden front later this afternoon from Brian ‘The Beast’ London. Stay tuned.