Tx Tech Head Coach Suspended

[DFW HOYA]

"[Texas] Tech football coach Mike Leach was suspended for ordering a player to stand in shed at the Tech football practice facility for two hours, then repeating the punishment two days later because he felt the player was faking an injury that happened during practice on Dec. 16, the Avalanche-Journal has learned. A source told the A-J Leach did not dispute the facts, brought to the university’s attention by the player and his parent. Leach had until Monday to write an apology and when he did not, the university felt it had to take action. “This was not taken lightly,” the source said, adding that Leach did not show any signs of remorse or did not say he wouldn’t do it again."

www.redraiders.com

[TigerHoya]

Supposedly it was the son of Craig James and the injury issue was him not wanting to practice after a concussion.

[hoya95]

I thought Leach was a pretty funny guy. But if he did that, then he's a world-class fool. You don't punish kids for concussions, particularly after all the studies published this year. And you definitely don't do that to the son of the ESPN analyst scheduled to call your bowl game. And you REALLY, REALLY don't give an AD who hates you a reason to fire you with cause and not pay you. Wow.

sports.espn.go.com/ncf/bowls09/news/story?id=4776848

[Jack]

Dec 28, 2009 20:44:08 GMT -5 hoya95 said:

I thought Leach was a pretty funny guy. But if he did that, then he's a world-class fool. You don't punish kids for concussions, particularly after all the studies published this year. And you definitely don't do that to the son of the ESPN analyst scheduled to call your bowl game. And you REALLY, REALLY don't give an AD who hates you a reason to fire you with cause and not pay you. Wow.

sports.espn.go.com/ncf/bowls09/news/story?id=4776848

Is it not the same AD who hired Bob Knight (serious question, I don't know)? But yeah, coaches like that are exactly the problem. Unless the kid was faking. Which is also the problem.

[AustinHoya03]

Dec 28, 2009 21:02:53 GMT -5 Jack said:

Is it not the same AD who hired Bob Knight (serious question, I don't know)? But yeah, coaches like that are exactly the problem. Unless the kid was faking. Which is also the problem.

Gerald Myers is indeed the man who hired Bobby Knight. He's been the AD at Tech for what feels like forever. If the rantings of the TTU alumni around these parts are to be believed this morning, he will not be the AD for much longer.

[HoyaSC]

From the reports coming out of Lubbock, this situation is far from black and white. Former players are lining up to support Leach. Others are calling James a spoiled rich kid unhappy with playing time.

Leach is weird, but he's no dummy. This will be an interesting story to watch unfold.

[RDF]

Craig James is worried about "ethical treatment" and he played for the most corrupt CFB in the history of the sport? (those that don't know it was SMU who was placed on the DEATH PENALTY)

James should be put in a closet and NEVER let out.

[DFW HOYA]

Dec 29, 2009 12:59:53 GMT -5 RDF said:

Craig James is worried about "ethical treatment" and he played for the most corrupt CFB in the history of the sport? (those that don't know it was SMU who was placed on the DEATH PENALTY)

FWIW, the death penalty occured four years after James played at SMU.

And most corrupt? No, just dumb enough to have the payroll approved by the board of trustees.

[theexorcist]

Dec 29, 2009 10:35:31 GMT -5 HoyaSC said:

From the reports coming out of Lubbock, this situation is far from black and white. Former players are lining up to support Leach. Others are calling James a spoiled rich kid unhappy with playing time.

Leach is weird, but he's no dummy. This will be an interesting story to watch unfold.

On the other hand, this story involves the crouching tiger of the NFL season - concussions - and involves college students, who are more sympathetic than NFL players, who at least get paid. And involves one of the major voices of ESPN, who sets a lot of the tone for college football. The Pony may not be working the Alamo Bowl, but he'll still able to talk for a few seconds on concussions. ESPN can make this very uncomfortable for Leach.

[AustinHoya03]

Dec 29, 2009 13:07:40 GMT -5 DFW HOYA said:

Dec 29, 2009 12:59:53 GMT -5 RDF said:

Craig James is worried about "ethical treatment" and he played for the most corrupt CFB in the history of the sport? (those that don't know it was SMU who was placed on the DEATH PENALTY)

FWIW, the death penalty occured four years after James played at SMU.

And most corrupt? No, just dumb enough to have the payroll approved by the board of trustees.

I'm not sure whether the date of the "occurrence*" of the death penalty is relevant -- I'm fairly certain the SMU football program was on NCAA probation for Craig James' entire collegiate career.

James has frequently admitted on national television that playing for the Pony Express boosted his bank balance. However, I have never seen him express remorse or regret for flagrantly violating NCAA rules.

That said, the allegations at Texas Tech should be investigated regardless of the player's last name, or his father's.

*Does a penalty or sanction ever simply "occur?"

[theexorcist]

Dec 29, 2009 12:59:53 GMT -5 RDF said:

Craig James is worried about "ethical treatment" and he played for the most corrupt CFB in the history of the sport? (those that don't know it was SMU who was placed on the DEATH PENALTY)

James should be put in a closet and NEVER let out.

I hate to say it, but there's a difference there - getting paid to play college sports doesn't compare to locking players in a shed because of a concussion.

I'll also say that SMU got the death penalty because they were SMU - Miami in the 80s included a frightening numbers of felons, and they got busted by the US government for Pell Grant fraud.

[hifigator]

I apologize in advance for my bastardization of the exact quote.


"Boy, aside from the fact that we're likely to throw the ball maybe 5 times your entire career, I played an entire Bowl game against Texas with a broken leg. Now what's this I hear about a 'sore elbow'?"

[RDF]

Dec 29, 2009 13:07:40 GMT -5 DFW HOYA said:

Dec 29, 2009 12:59:53 GMT -5 RDF said:

Craig James is worried about "ethical treatment" and he played for the most corrupt CFB in the history of the sport? (those that don't know it was SMU who was placed on the DEATH PENALTY)

FWIW, the death penalty occured four years after James played at SMU.

And most corrupt? No, just dumb enough to have the payroll approved by the board of trustees.

If you honestly think that James, Dickerson, Rusell Carter, Jerry Ball, etc..weren't part of the reason SMU was given the Death Penalty then enjoy "Fantasia".

I'll give you that they might not be the most corrupt--but they certainly were given the harshest punishment that any CFB program has received and until someone else is told to shut their program down-then they own the title.

As for James kid--if he's anything like his old man--then the treatment of him was "kind".

[DFW HOYA]

It's my understanding that James has said the moniker "Pony Express" got him the visibility to be drafted (and thus, made him money); ironically, he was first drafted by the Washington Federals and played in the USFL before the New England Patriots took note.

I do not believe James was ever accused of being one of the players getting regular payments--he had already graduated under a different coaching staff when the payments were in place under coach Bobby Collins.

[TigerHoya]

Leach is going to court to try to coach the game now.

[HoyaSC]

I saw a picture of this "shed." Get the Cool Hand Luke image out of your head. More like a quonset hut. Players have said they used to hang out inside of this shed to get out of the Texas sun.

I'm starting to lean to the side of the James kid is a spoiled poofta and diddy didn't like it.

[AustinHoya03]

Dec 29, 2009 14:44:13 GMT -5 DFW HOYA said:

I do not believe James was ever accused of being one of the players getting regular payments--he had already graduated under a different coaching staff when the payments were in place under coach Bobby Collins.

Collins coached James in 1982.

www.attcottonbowl.com/files/history/1983/rsrc/1983-Classic-Recap.pdf

www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/conferenceusa/southern_methodist/yearly_results.php?year=1980

What about SMU being on probation as early as 1976 for recruiting violations, and continuing to be on probation during James' career? Were the infamous SMU boosters banned from University Park before Collins was installed as coach?

You are correct that James was not identified as a player who accepted payments. My brief Googling also suggests he has ever admitted wrongdoing. However, I swear I recall him making on-air references to accepting payments. I think I referred to these in an old CFB thread, which I am going to try to dig up.

[HoyaFanNY]

james is a spoiled brat that is using his fathers name and job at espn to get back at coaches he thinks did him wrong and TT is using this as a reason to get out from under the contract.

[hoyainspirit]

Whether Leach is right or wrong, what future does he have as TT's coach, given that he has taken the school to court? My guess is... none.

[SoCalHoya]

...and now fired.

sports.espn.go.com/ncf/bowls09/news/story?id=4781981