Amidst the messed up situation at Texas Tech, coach Mike Leach has been fired. Big surprise.

Looks like the school decided they’d lose more money in potential students who would rather get their education elsewhere than be locked in a utility closet, than the $400,000 a year (for the next four years) they’ll be paying their former head coach.

The school forked over a termination letter to Ted Liggett, Leach’s attorney, on Wednesday just before the two sides were to appear in court for a hearing on the coach’s suspension, which he was hoping would result in his allowance to be on the sidelines for Saturday’s Alamo Bowl in San Antonio.

University officials suspended Leach on Monday pending an investigation into a complaint from sophomore Adam James (son of former New England Patriots running back Craig James) which alleged Leach confined the receiver to small, dark spaces on two separate occasions during practice after being diagnosed with a concussion.

Leach has yet to enlighten the world as to why the hell he would ever order a young man to be locked in a closet.

Update: In a statement to the Associated Press late Wednesday, Leach had this to say:

“Over the past several months, there have been individuals in the Texas Tech administration, Board of Regents and booster groups who have dealt in lies, and continue to do so. These lies have led to my firing this morning. I steadfastly refuse to deal in any lies, and am disappointed that I have not been afforded the opportunity for the truth to be known.”

Well, that certainly clears things up.