Former President Donald Trump honored the late football coach Michael “Mike” Leach in a Wednesday statement.
Leach passed away Monday at the age of 61 from a heart condition shortly after his Sunday hospitalization at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. He was finishing his third season as the head coach of the Mississippi State University football team.
“Mike Leach was an incredible Patriot and Coach, with a big heart for our Country and for Football,” Trump said in a statement. “From the very beginning, Mike was on Team MAGA, because he believed in our Great American Dream, something he lived, and helped others to achieve for themselves. My deepest condolences to his wife, Sharon, and [his] family. Coach Mike Leach will be missed by us all!”
Trump on the death of Coach Mike Leach. pic.twitter.com/6mdVTAVWRM
— Elizabeth Crisp 🦩 (@elizabethcrisp) December 14, 2022
Leach openly endorsed Trump in 2016, calling him a “world-class problem solver” and even had an autographed picture of him in his office, USA Today Sports reported. (RELATED: Mike Leach Wasn’t Just A Football Legend, He Taught Men How To Survive Their Weddings)
“I was vouching for a friend who I think is good for our country,” Leach previously told USA Today Sports. “This is my opinion, not Washington State’s opinion. But there’s a point that we’ve got to get to in this country where people are willing to exchange ideas and discuss ideas. Right now, there’s this contest on who can be offended and how fast. Everybody is offended by everything. I’m offended by people who get offended by everything.”
He further criticized the House Democrats for impeaching Trump in 2019 over accusations that he tried to convince Ukraine to investigate any wrongdoings or illegal activity performed by the then-former Vice President Joe Biden, according to The Spokesman-Review. The coach said he had “yet to hear what he did wrong.”