Leach fired by Texas Tech

[CrimsonTribe]

I am very surprised anyone is siding with Leach on this. He locked a kid in a closet, I repeat, he locked a kid in a closet. Kick him off the team if he's a pompous kid, take his scholarship, don't let him back next year...whatever. Just don't LOCK HIM IN A CLOSET. How is this acceptable on any level?

He didn't lock the kid in a closet; he made him go stand in a dark shed because the kid cited the need for dark for his recovery. From the article I cited a few posts up (there's actually a picture of the shed):

Like I said, [Adam James is] meaningless on his own, but if you think about it, he's also a perfect symbol for the college football establishment. A little cocky and self-important, riding the name of past glory (his father's), not as good as he thinks he is, and sharply at odds with the mind of Mike Leach. Per Texas Monthly, this week's conflict all started when James, after suffering a mild concussion, showed up to practice wearing sunglasses.

When asked about the glasses by a perturbed Coach Leach, he told his coach that his doctor said they'd help his recovery. In response, Coach Leach sent James to stand in dark places over the next two days' practices. Not "dark places" in a figurative sense, although that's the way they've been described in some circles. But just... Some literally dark environments.

It's not hard to connect the dots here--Leach, pissed off that a notorious primadonna would show up to practice with sunglasses on and cite his "recovery," sent him to stand in an uncomfortable place where sunglasses were idiotic. Namely, a dark shed. A callous move, until you consider the context and characters involved.

On one side, you've got a perpetual underdog with an unorthodox style, dealing with someone that'd reportedly caused conflict over everything from playing time to practices. On the other, you've got someone literally born to college football blue blood, unhappy with a situation he sees as wasting his talent, a national college football analyst (his father) to bolster his claims, and a doctor's order for sunglasses, to help treat a mild concussion. Can you really blame the first person for using his authority to punish the second person in a humiliating, but perfectly humane, fashion?

Well, Texas Tech chose to blame the first person, Mike Leach, and it opened the door for some of his most powerful critics to turn the tables, and humiliate the underdog they'd come to resent.

[beaner]

There has to be a better way for Leach to have dealt with him. There just has to be. I've never heard of a coach ordering a player to stand in a closet, a shed, whatever. It seems like the Texas Tech player quotes I've seen say they're better off and much happier with Leach gone, and that he was a bully..

[geschinger]

There has to be a better way for Leach to have dealt with him. There just has to be. I've never heard of a coach ordering a player to stand in a closet, a shed, whatever. It seems like the Texas Tech player quotes I've seen say they're better off and much happier with Leach gone, and that he was a bully..

At the same time there are Texas Tech player quotes slamming James as being a lazy and entitled jerk. There was a better way for Leach to have dealt with him.... He should of cut James long before he had any chance to sabotage him.

[CrimsonTribe]

There has to be a better way for Leach to have dealt with him. There just has to be. I've never heard of a coach ordering a player to stand in a closet, a shed, whatever. It seems like the Texas Tech player quotes I've seen say they're better off and much happier with Leach gone, and that he was a bully..

The only quotes from Texas Tech players I've seen are regarding how much Adam James sucks. To wit:

Adam James -- the player whom former star quarterback Graham Harrell described as "spoiled and selfish," and "more interested in playing his own games" -- was a bit player in all of this.

Or this article about how former players are supporting Leach and taking not so veiled shots at James.

I agree that Leach could have handled the situation better, but I think the TTU administration used this as their leverage to force Leach out.

[beaner]

The only quotes from Texas Tech players I've seen are regarding how much Adam James sucks. To wit:

Or this article aboutIu how former players are supporting Leach and taking not so veiled shots at James.

I agree that Leach could have handled the situation better, but I think the TTU administration used this as their leverage to force Leach out.

I'm not defending James in any way.. I just stand firm that Leach's actions were too extreme. I can't imagine Adam James being the first prima donna kid he ever coached. He should have known better. I know no one is disputing this, but that's the bottom line IMO.

[RShack]

I'm not defending James in any way.. I just stand firm that Leach's actions were too extreme.

It's not even clear exactly what happened yet. If you wanna stand firm, you might wanna wait and see how it all shakes out. Because of how so-called journalism works these days, we hear all the loud accusatory noise right away, but it takes a week or three to get info that's trustworthy.

[beaner]

It's not even clear exactly what happened yet. If you wanna stand firm, you might wanna wait and see how it all shakes out. Because of how so-called journalism works these days, we hear all the loud accusatory noise right away, but it takes a week or three to get info that's trustworthy.

I hear ya, but the thing is, no one is denying the kid was in a shed, closet, whatever. There has been no denial on each or his spokesman/lawyer's part at all. That tells me he did something "not kosher" involving his handling of Adam James.

[BaltimoreTerp]

I hear ya, but the thing is, no one is denying the kid was in a shed, closet, whatever. There has been no denial on each or his spokesman/lawyer's part at all. That tells me he did something "not kosher" involving his handling of Adam James.

Unless the argument is that what happened wasn't "not kosher".

[beaner]

Unless the argument is that what happened wasn't "not kosher".

Do you think it's standard practice to do this type of thing at Texas Tech? Again, no one is denying he was put in the closet...

Now the Offensive Coordinator who supported Leach before the firing has changed his story to support James..

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/bowls09/news/story?id=4786270

[BaltimoreTerp]

Do you think it's standard practice to do this type of thing at Texas Tech? Again, no one is denying he was put in the closet...

You mean have a player spend time in a dark place during practice because he asks to?

I mean, I get migranes sometimes and the only thing that helps is a dark place, so I can see someone with a concussion figuring the same thing.

Now the Offensive Coordinator who supported Leach before the firing has changed his story to support James..

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/bowls09/news/story?id=4786270

C'mon man, you're better than that.

I told [James] I know we're on different sides of the fence on this deal, but he's still my player," Riley said. "All the threats to him and his family are ridiculous. I told him if he needs help as far as feeling endangered in any way, I'll help him out any way I can."

All he said is that the kid shouldn't be getting threatened like he apparently is, which if he said anything less on the subject should get him scorn and even more-immediate dismissal than Leach. He said nothing about taking back what he said.

This story seems to have hit a real nerve with you. Making extreme claims about where the kid was even after they were debunked, spinning what was quoted in a news story. I don't want to sound too critical, but why the reaction?

[geschinger]

Do you think it's standard practice to do this type of thing at Texas Tech? Again, no one is denying he was put in the closet...

Now the Offensive Coordinator who supported Leach before the firing has changed his story to support James..

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/bowls09/news/story?id=4786270

There is a lot a dispute about that. James claims it was an eletrical closet:

Leach and others don't deny getting him out of the sun during the practice but they claim it was in the equipment shed and the room where interviews are done:

The Truth Behind the Leach Accusations?

I would agree with you that Leach handled things inproperly if there was any truth behind the James accusation that the room in his video was the one in question. I don't think there is anything inappropriate about taking a player complaining about sensitivity to light to one of the two rooms in the truth behind the leaach accusations video.

[beaner]

You mean have a player spend time in a dark place during practice because he asks to?

I mean, I get migranes sometimes and the only thing that helps is a dark place, so I can see someone with a concussion figuring the same thing.

C'mon man, you're better than that.

All he said is that the kid shouldn't be getting threatened like he apparently is, which if he said anything less on the subject should get him scorn and even more-immediate dismissal than Leach. He said nothing about taking back what he said.

This story seems to have hit a real nerve with you. Making extreme claims about where the kid was even after they were debunked, spinning what was quoted in a news story. I don't want to sound too critical, but why the reaction?

That's funny, I don't know why it's struck a cord to be honest. I have no feelings towards Texas Tech, Mike Leach, or whomever. It just looks to me like Leach didn't like the kid's attitude and bullied him, nothing more, nothing less. He threatened to kick him off the team if he left the "closet", or so I've read. I also read Leach thought James was faking and he was "testing" him. Just seems to me that Leach was/is kind of a jerk and didn't think he could do any wrong.

[BaltimoreTerp]

That's funny, I don't know why it's struck a cord to be honest. I have no feelings towards Texas Tech, Mike Leach, or whomever. It just looks to me like Leach didn't like the kid's attitude and bullied him, nothing more, nothing less. He threatened to kick him off the team if he left the "closet", or so I've read. I also read Leach thought James was faking and he was "testing" him. Just seems to me that Leach was/is kind of a jerk and didn't think he could do any wrong.

Well, that's going off almost entirely what this kid is saying. Leach's coaches and former players have come out to support him, and James has received almost no support beyond the semi-backhanded quote from the coach in the above story.

Look at Mark Mangino in comparison. Something came out about him and all of the support went to the kid's story.

I do think the truth is somewhere in the middle, but my feeling is that in the end it will likely turn out to be much closer to Leach's side than James'.

Honestly though, I think the actual facts of the incident matter very little. Most schools would have had a discussion with the coach, and if it came out into public view would have gone the "handling it internally" path. It's obvious that Texas Tech, for whatever reason, was looking for an excuse to rid themselves of Leach. Not to minimize what James went through if indeed he is telling the whole truth, but that's the real story here.

[beaner]

Well, that's going off almost entirely what this kid is saying. Leach's coaches and former players have come out to support him, and James has received almost no support beyond the semi-backhanded quote from the coach in the above story.

Look at Mark Mangino in comparison. Something came out about him and all of the support went to the kid's story.

I do think the truth is somewhere in the middle, but my feeling is that in the end it will likely turn out to be much closer to Leach's side than James'.

Honestly though, I think the actual facts of the incident matter very little. Most schools would have had a discussion with the coach, and if it came out into public view would have gone the "handling it internally" path. It's obvious that Texas Tech, for whatever reason, was looking for an excuse to rid themselves of Leach. Not to minimize what James went through if indeed he is telling the whole truth, but that's the real story here.

If you could see my wife giving me the evil eye right now.."Playing" on my iphone while I'm supposed to be hanging with her friends..I digress.

I'm sure you're right and the truth does lie somewhere in the middle, and yea, it does look like Tech is thrilled to be rid of this guy..

[beaner]

Ok, I'm beginning to hear the other side of this....here's a few excerpts from the NYT interview with Leach..via Twitter

http://twitter.com/PeteThamelNYT