Posted on 01/01/2010 12:08:44 AM PST by FTJM
In his first interview since being fired as coach of Texas Tech, Mike Leach denied reports that he had mistreated the sophomore receiver Adam James after James sustained a concussion.
Leach said in a 38-minute phone interview late Thursday that James acted as if he were entitled to special treatment and that he was lazy. He also said the player and his family’s claims of mistreatment were the result of bitterness over a lack of playing time.
Leach said that he felt that James’s father, Craig James, tried to leverage his position as an ESPN analyst to get more playing time for his son.
It has been widely reported that Leach locked Adam James in a closet or a shed after James sustained a concussion at a practice last month. Leach said he only ordered James to be taken “out of the light” and did not know specifically where he had been taken.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
As you start to read across all of these reports...you start to see issues with both the player and the coach. I see behavior from the coach that detracts from his real goals...and this player probably should forget about any real future in college football or the NFL.
A coach has to be there to lead the team and set an example. If the kid isn’t putting effort into practice or training...then let him sit on the sidelines (not in some shed). It’s that simple. The team gets the point and this mind-game of sorts doesn’t have to be played.
Jackie Sherrill castrated a bull during a team practice as a motivational technique prior to a game versus Texas. It worked, as unranked Mississippi State beat the #13 ranked Longhorns.[8] (Wikipedia)
I do not think that the Chacellor and AD acted in good faith. I do not think this incident rises to the level of firing the guy that built your program unless they were looking for a reason to fire him and this just happened along. When I had a concussion years ago, the Doc told my Mom to keep me out of the light and not let me go to sleep. If the treatment is still the same, it sounds like that is what was being done. From what I have read, James was in a dark room being supervised by two or three other people. I do not see a problem with it.
Pretty much sums up. No doubt voted for "commander zero".
“I do not think that the Chacellor and AD acted in good faith. I do not think this incident rises to the level of firing the guy that built your program unless they were looking for a reason to fire him and this just happened along”
He was fired for insubordination. And rightly so. The Chancellor asked him to sign a policy for the treatment of student athletes and he refused saying that “no one is going to be looking over my shoulder”. The last I heard Kent Hance runs the University, not Mike Leach.
I enjoyed a long business and banking career with positions ranking from the most junior member of the staff to Partner and signed policies all the time. If I had a serious problem with one, I would have moved on to something else. Not be stupid enough to bow up and get my ass fired,
Jackie Sherrill castrated a bull during a team practice as a motivational technique prior to a game versus Texas. It worked, as unranked Mississippi State beat the #13 ranked Longhorns.[8]
ROTFLMAO!!!
That's EXACTLY what this is about. Last winter, Leach went for an interview at the University of Washington without informing his superiors. They couldn't fire him last year because he'd just won 12 games and raised the program to unprecedented heights. So they signed him to a 5-year deal and bided their time until they could find a good excuse to fire Leach.
The James incident sounds minor except for the recent flare-up at Kansas that cost Mark Mangino his job where he, too, was accused of abusing his players.
The proof that Tech just wanted an excuse was that Leach was fired the day before an $800,000 clause in his contract would have kicked in.
I'm no Leach fan but it is clear that the relationship between Leach and his bosses soured and they were just waiting to find a reason to fire him.
I disagree, see post #9. I believe that is correct, it was about not paying Leach and trying to ruin him for his next job. BTW after listening to the interview with him the Chancellor strikes me as a combination weasel/tool.
James Kid is a spoiled brat. The only mistake Leech did was not licking him off the team.
Craig James reputation precedes him. The minute I read it was his kid involved, and that the “James family” had complained I knew this was point-proving, whiny baby, attention craving pussification. Reportedly, Craig James keeps a personal make up artist just off camera at all times during college football broadcasts. If that doesn’t say primadonna...
Now don’t be too hard on hard-workin’ Craig; remember that he earned a considerable pile of cash while playing football for SMU. ;~)
“BTW after listening to the interview with him the Chancellor strikes me as a combination weasel/tool.”
Kent Hance is a very good man. He is a former very Conservative Democrat Congressma from West Texas who led the Conservative Southern Democrat “Boll Weevils” back in the day when we still had Conservative Southern Democrats. He later became a Republican.
Beyond a doubt he is the most Conservative Chancellor of a major Public University in the country.
Leach, just by his phsical appearance doesn’t inspire any confidence. He is young enough to be in good shape. Going through life fat, dumb and obnoxious is not the way to go.
I bet his players want their Sons to be just like him - an all - ‘round boy.
I’ve lost respect for James.
I hope that Mike Leach gets his $10 million and more.
An old time Texas Conservative Democrat? Like LBJ? I’ll take your word for it even though I do not believe there has been a conservative Democrat since before the turn of the 20th Century. I did send my kid to Tech becuase it is conservative as far as state schools go, so I guess the leadership would have to be more conservative than most state schools. I do not know the guy from Adam except for that interview, but that is the impression I was left with after watching.
The more I read/learn about this whole affair, the more I believe my initial “the Chancellor seems like a combination weasel/tool’ impression was correct.
He refused to sign because the clause included a reference to the James situation and Leach, being a law school grad, thought the statement opened him up to future legal liability regarding James' injury.
“An old time Texas Conservative Democrat? Like LBJ? I’ll take your word for it even though I do not believe there has been a conservative Democrat since before the turn of the 20th Century. I did send my kid to Tech becuase it is conservative as far as state schools go, so I guess the leadership would have to be more conservative than most state schools. I do not know the guy from Adam except for that interview, but that is the impression I was left with after watching.”
Hance was instrumental in getting Reagen’s agenda through Congress and he has been a Republican for quite some time now. After the interview with Hance, I was even more convinced that he was right.
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