The judge in former football coach Mike Leach's lawsuit against Texas Tech has ordered the sides to try to work out a resolution.
State District Judge William Sowder on Thursday ordered Leach, the university and their attorneys to complete mediation by Feb. 5. He also placed a gag order on the talks.
The university fired Leach on Dec. 30, two days after it suspended him amid allegations he mistreated a player with a concussion. His suit includes allegations of libel and slander and breach of contract.
Leach has denied he mistreated receiver Adam James, who said his coach twice ordered him to stand for hours while confined in a dark place during practice.
More football
Herzlich returns: Boston College linebacker Mark Herzlich is back on the practice field for the first time since leaving the team to undergo cancer treatment.
Herzlich led part of the captains practice Thursday in the bubble-covered field at Alumni Stadium.
The BC linebacker was the Atlantic Coast Conference defensive player of the year in 2008. He was diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma, a rare form of cancer, the next spring.
He missed all of last season.
Miscellaneous
Only one USC: Would a reaso nable person confuse a USC logo on a garnet-and-black ball cap in Columbia, S.C., with the same letters on cardinal-and-gold sportswear worn by a Trojans fan at the Coliseum in Los Angeles?
Apparently so, a federal appeals court has decided in rejecting a petition from the Palmetto State to use the letters on baseball team clothing for the University of South Carolina Gamecocks.
A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Los Angeles on Tuesday upheld a decision last year by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office review board to recognize the University of Southern California's century-old claim to the logo letters.
Neil C. Jones, the Greenville, S.C., lawyer representing the University of South Carolina, said school authorities hadn't decided whether to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Los Angeles Times
