Mike Leach, who was last seen being fired at Texas Tech, has been hired to be the next football coach at Washington State.

On the surface, this looks like a coup for the Cougars, who have not appeared in a bowl game since 2003. Leach is an offensive genius, that coached the Red Raiders to a bowl game in each of his ten seasons in Lubbock.

But Leach was fired from Texas Tech after it was revealed he had locked a player in a shed during practice. But it wasn't just any player. It was the son of ESPN analyst Craig James. And in the aftermath, Leach filed a lawsuit against ESPN claiming "willful and negligent defamation" of character. That lawsuit is still pending.

And while other schools may have been scared off by the lawsuits with college football's biggest partner (ESPN aired 33 of the 35 bowl games last year). Washington State was willing to take the chance.

The self-proclaimed Worldwide Leader is notorious for taking care of their partners. And ESPN and the Pac-12 just signed a new deal to broadcast Pac-12 football games.

So, will ESPN play nice with Washington State?

Let's just say...don't be surprised if it is while before Washington State is making any appearances on the four-letter network.