Texas Tech fired head coach Mike Leach after suspending him, pending an investigation for his mistreatment of wide receiver Adam James, who also happens to be the son of ESPN college football analyst Craig James. I'm not saying that Leach did or did not have malicious intent in his alleged treatment of this kid, but I am going to say that the media, especially ESPN, is going to spin this in whichever direction they choose to based solely on the fact that one of their employee's son's is involved.
I believe that everyone from ESPN is going to make Mike Leach to be the bad guy. Everyone from Texas Tech, including the players, are already painting the picture of Mike Leach being a terrible person that had "negative vibes". There is one, Wes Welker, who had this to say to ESPN:
I can just go off my previous experiences from being at Texas Tech and Coach Leach and the rest of the coaching staff was always great to me, always great to my teammates and everything like that. It's unfortunate and we wish him the best.
Coming from a great professional like Wes Welker and a guy who has shown that he's always given 110% even when in college, he was told that he was too small and the rest, that shows and means a lot in defense of Mike Leach. Leach has done very well as the head coach of Texas Tech in his tenure with the Red Raiders. Coach Leach had an overall record of 84-43 and a 5-4 bowl record with the team. Leach has had a wining season and a bowl game in every season with Texas Tech.
Contract Cop Out
Texas Tech is seeming to forget about what Mike Leach has done to get the program to the point it is at. Texas Tech is using this issue as a reason to fire Mike Leach without actually looking into it and finding any real evidence as to what happened during those few days. So far, everything that I've heard and read about is all hearsay and speculation. The story from Adam James doesn't match what the team doctor has said and if James did have a concussion, how would he remember everything accurately anyway. I think James blew it out of proportion because Leach probably called him out for hiding in the trainers room and he got all emotional about it.
The university has taken this incident and found a loophole in paying Leach his $800 K bonus for being the head coach on December 31st and also by having cause to terminate him effective immediately they also won't have to pay him the $1.6 M for the remainder of the 4 years on his contract. Mike Leach is going to take legal action, as he should, and will most likely get paid in the end and start the rumor mill, Mike Leach could end up in the NFL before season's end. Buffalo, Tampa Bay, Washington, Detroit and some others would definitely want that type of coach on their team.
Mike Leach did what any Division I coach would do with a kid on their team with a concussion. Leach isolated Jones and kept him in a dark, quiet place. What could be better than a dark quiet place, while being monitored by a doctor, when you are concussed? Definitely not the practice field with lots of lights, noise and whistles when you can't be a part of the practice anyway. Suck it up James, no coach is going to want you on their team for the rest of your life, Leach on the other hand, will always have a job at a high level.
Thanks to bk1bennett for the picture of the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Adam James #82 on the sidelines.
