Former President Donald Trump has spoken out following the sudden death of legendary college football coach Mike Leach, who was a longtime friend and supporter of Trump's.
On Wednesday, Trump released a statement saying Leach would be missed.
"Mike Leach was an incredible Patriot and Coach, with a big heart for our Country and for Football. From the very beginning, Mike was on Team MAGA, because he believed in our Great American Dream, something he lived, and helped others achieve for themselves. My deepest condolences to his wife, Sharon, and family. Coach Mike Leach will be missed by us all!"
Leach, 61, died early Tuesday of what Mississippi State called complications from a heart condition. He reportedly suffered a massive heart attack at his home two days earlier.
The former longtime Texas Tech and Washington Coach coach was widely known as eccentric and outspoken, characteristics that seemingly extended into his political beliefs, though his relationship with Trump apparently predated Trump's official foray into politics.
Leach and Trump struck up a friendship as early as 2004, according to a Seattle Times article published in 2016. Leach reportedly texted Trump soon after his victory in the 2016 presidential election and offered his services as the "Secretary of Offense."
Like his favorite politician, Leach's old-school values and brash conservatism was not without controversy.
For one, Leach was fired by Texas Tech in 2009 for allegedly locking a concussed player in a dark room. Later, he engaged in heated political banter on social media, once posting a doctored video of former President Barack Obama, with the episode reportedly costing Washington State millions in donations. In his first year in Starkville, he posted a cartoon of a woman knitting a noose for her husband, which led to a player transferring.
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