WSU agrees to $275,000 settlement, ending lawsuit against Mike Leach, appeal board

Washington State University has agreed to a $275,000 settlement to resolve a 2018 lawsuit against former football Head Coach Mike Leach and university officials for kicking a former player off of the team and revoking his scholarship over a later-dismissed shoplifting arrest.

Court records filed this week show all parties agreed to dismiss former WSU defensive back Zaire Webb’s lawsuit against Leach, members of the Athletic Awards Appeals Committee and WSU as part of a $275,000 judgment in Webb’s favor.

Whitman County Superior Court Judge Gary Libey signed off on the judgment last week, ruling the amount the state will pay Webb represented “a proper and just settlement.” The agreement did not admit any liability.

In 2018, Webb accused Leach and the appeals committee of violating his right to due process, negligence and breach of contract, his lawsuit stated. Webb argued Leach had inconsistently applied his “Three Deadly Sin” expulsion policy against Webb while sparing other players. WSU argued additional issues factored into Webb’s removal from the team.

Libey dismissed Webb’s lawsuit in 2019, ruling that WSU and the appeals committee had violated Webb’s due process rights, but remained immune from liability. The state Court of Appeals later overturned Libey’s determination on immunity, reviving the case in late 2020.

Again presiding over the case, Libey ruled last month that Webb was entitled to damages and scheduled a trial for November. Parties filed paperwork this week to finalize the settlement, cancel the trial and dismiss the case.

Leach and the members of the appeals committee were dismissed as individual defendants based on “this matter having been fully settled and compromised between the plaintiff and defendant State of Washington.”

The $275,000 settlement breaks out into a $125,000 payment and $150,000 for attorneys fees and taxable costs, court records stated. The state will pay the money through the court clerk.

Webb’s attorney Tyler Waite previously stated they would seek damages covering at minimum the monetary value of Webb’s revoked four-year scholarship.

“The parties reached an amicable settlement,” Waite wrote in an email Thursday, “and Mr. Webb is pleased with the result.”

Update, Oct. 15: WSU today released the complete terms of the $275,000 settlement between Zaire Webb and Leach/WSU officials. Read that agreement here.