Adam James on YouTube (Updated)
[Guest post by DRJ]
Adam James, the player at the center of the Mike Leach firing, has apparently posted a video on YouTube:
The description:
“This video was taken by Adam James, a player on the Texas Tech Red Raider football team on Saturday, December 19th, after being confined by Coach Mike Leach in an electrical closet off the Press Room at Jones AT&T Stadium. James was suffering from a concussion received during an earlier scrimmage game. James was ordered to stand in the darkness until released several hours later. James momentarily turned on a light to record his surroundings with his cell phone.”
— DRJ
UPDATE: An interview with Leach’s attorney posted on YouTube:
Notice the room has 1) lights, 2) chairs, and he wasn’t alone in there. What a poor guy to be subjected to such outrageous punishment…
h2u (147639) — 12/30/2009 @ 9:08 pmSlacker.
Alta Bob (e8af2b) — 12/30/2009 @ 9:11 pmhttp://www.amarillo.com/stories/123009/web_techstatement.shtml
….
“The coach’s termination was precipitated by his treatment of a player after the player was diagnosed with a concussion. The player was put at risk for additional injury. After the university was apprised of the treatment, Coach Leach was contacted by the administration of the university in an attempt to resolve the problem. In a defiant act of insubordination, Coach Leach continually refused to cooperate in a meaningful way to help resolve the complaint. He also refused to obey a suspension order and instead sued Texas Tech University. Further, his contemporaneous statements make it clear that the coach’s actions against the player were meant to demean, humiliate and punish the player rather than to serve the team’s best interest. This action, along with his continuous acts of insubordination, resulted in irreconcilable differences that make it impossible for coach Leach to remain at Texas Tech.”
….
Sounds resonable to me.
Good night.
Teetop (1f1551) — 12/30/2009 @ 9:27 pmJames should be embarassed.
JD (e18e2f) — 12/30/2009 @ 9:40 pmhe should have his daddy buy him a subway franchise
happyfeet (e9e587) — 12/30/2009 @ 9:44 pmSorry, if this was my kid, and his coach did not let him go to the hospital with his concussion, but rather locked him ANYWHERE where he wasn’t free to go, I’d kick that coach’s ass from here to Amarillo.
He has lights and a chair and he wasn’t alone. That’s totally irrelevant. Leach belongs behind bars if this kid was kidnapped, which as far as I understand, he obviously was according to the TPC.
A lot of people want to pretend they are tough by ordering other people to deal with obvious wrongness. H2U is a great example.
Here’s the thing, it doesn’t matter if this was some great way to run a football team, or some character building awesome macho thing. That’s irrelevant.
This kid brought the TRUTH to the attention of his school. That’s what’s on this video: reality. That’s all he did, but the idiots want to attack and demean him. They know it’s not relevant. People complain and whine about the truth all the time… doesn’t matter if all they do is tell the truth.
Mike Leach promised Texas Tech he would not do this. He broke his word and the law. He’s a fraud. It’s right there in black and white. Texas Tech pointed out his contract where they specified what their employee would do… Mike said he’s follow those simple rules, and was lying. Who cares that the football player had a fucking chair? Mike Leach broke his contract. He’s fired. He should be in a cell right now.
And if someone did this to you, I would want them stopped. If you have a brain injury, you need help, not attitude adjustment. Personally, I think this is a totally incompetent way to improve someone’s attitude… but that’s irrelevant. I don’t care if some of you want to live in a bullshit fantasy of how you think things used to be. If Mike Leach wanted to hurt people like this, he shouldn’t have sworn on his word that he wasn’t going to hurt people like this.
Oh, I know, half the folks out there are going to ignore the point and pretend this is some kind of coddling. Nope. You’re the one coddling the coward.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 12/30/2009 @ 9:56 pmFive.
h2u (147639) — 12/30/2009 @ 9:56 pmFive dollar.
Five dollar footlong!
I’ve updated the post with an interview of Leach’s attorney.
DRJ (84a0c3) — 12/30/2009 @ 10:49 pm#6, before posting you really should get your facts together first. James was treated by a physician prior to his stint in the garage and the media room (not an electrical closet as he states). He showed up at practice with sunglasses and complained about the sunlight hurting his eyes. That’s when Leach had him spend time in those locations. Either place looks pretty benign.
Kentucky Colonel (dcbb26) — 12/31/2009 @ 4:17 amDustin – Did you bother acquainting yourself with any of the facts prior to posting that drivel? Kidnapping? Denying medical care? Jail? Oh good Allah.
JD (58e90e) — 12/31/2009 @ 5:52 amBoth James and the Coach are jerks. It’s what you get when you coddle people. Both have been coddled by society beyond their worth. Both are worth a lot less than just about anyone you will encounter today. And both will get a lot of money and attention for this worthless attention-grabber I would sooner not have to think about. Oh well, I’ve thought about it enough.
dfbaskwill (c021f2) — 12/31/2009 @ 5:57 amDustin –
He was not kidnapped. He was free to go at any time. No shackles, no threats of physical harm. He was not restrained, nor blocked from leaving by his attendants. He may have been kicked off the team (highly unlikely given his mom Craig’s standing with the admin), but that is the most severe possible consequence young James faced. I will leave it to the lawyers to correct me here, but I don’t think the threat of being kicked off the team would constitute unlawful restraint.
Like others have said, read the facts before you go off. You make it sound like the kid had a freaking terminal brain tumor and the coach put him in a Gulag.
Sounds like you didn’t get much playing time either, Dustin.
Matador (176445) — 12/31/2009 @ 6:52 amWhats this world comin to??? When I played Highschool Sports the Coach GAVE me a Concussion…except we didn’t call it a “Concussion” in 1977, you just thought you were “Seeing Stars” like would happen to that poor dog Foghorn Leghorn would hit over the head with a 2 x 4
Frank Drackman (c2d1a4) — 12/31/2009 @ 7:23 amYeah, Miss Armbruster the Tennis Coach was a real Ball buster…
In fact that’s what we called her, “Coach Ballbuster” even though her name was pronounced Arm-“Bruise-ter”, which was fitting, cause your arms would often be bruised after one of her rush-the-net drills.
And she didn’t really give me a concussion, it was more like one of those 3-Stooges Dope-Slaps, the palm to the forehead Moe would give Curly when the mood hit him…
But if it wasn’t for about 40 Dope-Slaps I’d never have learned to hit a Top Spin Serve, that to this day gets me points when I need it…
Now a days I’d be content with a shitty slice serve…
So stick to your guns Mike Leach, there’s a place for you in the SEC, hear Florida’s lookin for somebody..
Frank
Frank Drackman (c2d1a4) — 12/31/2009 @ 7:28 amOne thing I don’t understand at all about this case is if the player’s treatment was akin to a gulag, then why didn’t he WALK THE HELL OFF THE TEAM? I had a bastard for a coach in my first days of Varsity football, and after he kicked me in the ass a number of times and slapped my helmet during blocking drills, I dropped my uni off after practice and joined the cross – country team. Best decision I ever made, and that coach suffered two heart attacks shortly afterward, one on the sidelines.
Dmac (a964d5) — 12/31/2009 @ 7:48 amWell said, #6. Apparently, some of the coach’s defenders didn’t read the article very closely.
grs (c4740b) — 12/31/2009 @ 8:45 amESPN is apparently throwing Leach under the bus for the moment–this morning they quoted one of the Tech DTs saying that the team is a lot more relaxed and jacked for the game now that he’s been fired.
I’m 90% sure the firing was about the bonus the school would have had to pay him, along with resentment over how Leach leveraged openings at other schools to get a more lucrative deal at Tech, but there might be something more to the overall team atmosphere than meets the eye as well. Remember that it only took a couple of public allegations about player abuse to get Mark Mangino fired at Kansas, even though he’d nearly coached them to a national title a couple of years ago. Colleges are pretty sensitive to any kind of negative publicity these days, and if it allowed them a convenient excuse to get rid of Leach, I can see why they jumped on it even if I think it could have been handled more professionally.
Another Chris (2d8013) — 12/31/2009 @ 8:56 amgrs – Care to explain to us how this was immoral? Kidnapping? Unlawful? Why he should be imprisoned?
JD (ffd7ab) — 12/31/2009 @ 8:58 amDustin, GRS and Teetop all seem to be reading from the same press release…
…issued by the James family.
h2u (147639) — 12/31/2009 @ 9:06 amIf a player shows up to practice unable to play due to injury or illness, there are better methods of handling this than the route Leach took. For instance, why not send him to study game film? (and maybe even report back to coach on the tendencies of the players James was likely to be matched up against?)
It’s up to his employer to determine whether or not he needed to be let go for this (or cumulative other) offenses. The Athletic Dept knows what conditions James endured as the practice facility is their property. Obviously they felt the time to let Leach go had come.
GaMongrel (11c057) — 12/31/2009 @ 9:20 amThe kids cell phone video looks nothing like the “media room” the attorney is showing the reporter.
The simple point is the kid was being punished for having a concussion. Whether he was playing it to stay out of practice or what is besid ethe point. If Leach thought he was faking then kick him off the team. The locations he used were OBVIOUSLY for punishment and were sure to make the kid an object of ridicule by his teammates.
Again, if he was faking, yank his scholarship. (assuming he has a history of slacking.) There are plenty of tests that show a players condition after a concussion.
cstmbuild (be02cc) — 12/31/2009 @ 9:31 amTypical of NCAA ‘big-time’ football: dumb underpaid players and over paid dumb coaches. Such a higher educaitain (sic) scam.
David Brown (69f4e8) — 12/31/2009 @ 10:09 am
Susan WI (32c69d) — 12/31/2009 @ 10:15 amAs a coaches wife these stories make me cringe. When a kid is a malcontent or lacks ability all of the sudden everything is the coach, because if it were not on the coach who would it be??? Duh, their kid! Craig James is a total jerk! I believe his exact words were that Wisconsin was the worst team to make it to the Rose Bowl in the 90’s and we shut him up by winning! I would be ashamed if my sons were as lazy as Adam. Suck it up and work harder to earn the right to play.
Shockingly, when given the choice between the relatively powerless player and the more powerful authority figure of the one of these Division I autocrats, the majority of Patterico’s posters side with the authoritarian figure!
The authority figure is always right (unless he/she has a “D” after his/her name)
timb (449046) — 12/31/2009 @ 10:20 amI am just waiting for the rending of garments. The hysterical reactions and hyperbole are greatly amusing. Kidnapping! Unlawful imprisonment! Torture! Denied medical care! Punished for having a concussion! For the sake of f*ck, these people are too much.
JD (6c072e) — 12/31/2009 @ 10:23 amtimb, the majority of Patterico’s commenters look at the facts and come to their own conclusions. Keep on trollin’.
JD, have you been watching ESPN? I am so sick of these bowl games being broadcast on this network! All they are doing is giving airtime to Craig James and Texas Tech administrators. They keep displaying a message from *one* TT player in support of Adam James.
They are backing *their* analyst and distancing themselves from impartiality to an insane degree. It’s truly disgusting. Leach isn’t getting a fair shake at all. ESPN is just piling it on him and there’s nothing he can do about it. All of these damn games are on ESPN.
It’s making my blood boil.
h2u (147639) — 12/31/2009 @ 10:41 amDid someone just fart in aisle 24?
Old Coot (d2bd0f) — 12/31/2009 @ 10:46 amDid someone just fart in aisle 24?
It sounded more like a vacuum.
Another Chris (2d8013) — 12/31/2009 @ 10:49 amh2u – I have not been watching today or yesterday. From how you describe it, you save me from puking in the back of my mouth. Thanks! Apparently it takes quite a bit to embarass the James family.
JD (f2435b) — 12/31/2009 @ 10:59 amh2u –
Need you be reminded that ESPN gave birth to Olbervictim and his girlfriend Dan Patrick, threw Rush under the bus, and is the younger sister of ABC?
They are stocked with leftwing crybaby personalities. This is exactly how I would expect ESPN to cover the situation, they did the same thing with the Duke lacrosse team. Except for the games themselves, ESPN is a joke.
Matador (176445) — 12/31/2009 @ 11:02 amMatador, good points.
The fact that they still allowed Craig James to comment on NCAA games during this bowl season really blew my mind. Did they not see the problem with doing that???
Ugh.
h2u (147639) — 12/31/2009 @ 11:08 amLeach should have apologized rather than sending his attorney out to point fingers at his player, a college student.
If he didn’t want him on the team after that, he could have cut his scholarship.
In the end, it’s really hard to make yourself look good for putting your student in a dark room because he had a concussion. Sure, coaches get away with stuff all the time, but once it’s public it’s a whole different kettle of fish. The only thing you can do is admit your mistake. If you can’t do that, you aren’t going to be welcome at that university.
Leach handled it wrong, and he had to go.
MayBee (a4324b) — 12/31/2009 @ 11:10 amMayBee, I don’t think that’s an accurate portrayal of the situation.
Adam James was injured during a scrimmage on Dec. 16th and diagnosed with a concussion on Dec. 17th. He was “forced” to remain standing in a dark room during practice on Dec. 18th or 19th depending on the source. He was not put in any danger nor was he mistreated by any definition of the word.
He’s a football player and he should be tough enough to suffer a little indignity.
Leach was fired because of the money. That’s the bottom line. That the James family complained was only a pretext.
h2u (147639) — 12/31/2009 @ 11:23 amHe’s a football player and he should be tough enough to suffer a little indignity.
Comment by h2u — 12/31/2009 @ 11:23 am
No, he’s not a football player. He’s a college kid. He’s there to get an education. And maybe to have fun playing football. Not to be exploited by either his coach, or the college, or ESPN.
nk (df76d4) — 12/31/2009 @ 11:30 amHe was “forced” to remain standing in a dark room during practice on Dec. 18th or 19th depending on the source. He was not put in any danger nor was he mistreated by any definition of the word
Leach’s behavior looks horrible in the light of day. If he didn’t want James on his team after he complained, he should have apologized to the family and University, then let him go. Complaining publicly about your own scholarship player is loser behavior from a coach.
MayBee (a4324b) — 12/31/2009 @ 11:37 amnk, I believe that Adam James is anything but a “college kid.” He’s an overprivileged, arrogant narcissist who was trying to find the easiest route to a professional sports career.
From some letters in support of Mike Leach:
Bennie Wylie
Head Strength and Conditioning Coach
Texas Tech University
Graham Harrell
Former Texas Tech Player
2004 – 2008
Lincoln Riley
h2u (147639) — 12/31/2009 @ 11:38 amTexas Tech Inside Receivers Coach
You don’t like the player, you let him go.
I don’t recall any coach publicly whining about one of his college players before. The coach just shouldn’t get in a public finger pointing match with his players.
MayBee (a4324b) — 12/31/2009 @ 11:43 amIt is loser behavior.
While I commented on the other thread, my comments never came close to touching the issue. So this’ll be my first comment that does, albeit in a “vacillating with a ‘tude” manner.
I thought Indiana should’ve fired Bobby Knight several years before they did. And I thought the next college that hired him were idiots for doing so.
A lot of high schools, colleges, and nearly all pro teams have power-drunk coaches with Drill Instructor temperaments, and Bobby Knight amplified (not exemplified) that. There is this whole “untouchable” feel about them, as if they are not answerable to anyone–so long as they win and put posteriors in seats.
My daughter had a coach who had this thing about berating the girls he coached. After one game, which they lost (and they rarely lost), he had them all sit in the dugout while he went on a tirade. I interrupted his tirade to tell my daughter to get out of the dugout; we’re leaving.
When he asked why I was pulling her out of the team meeting, I told him, straight up: I don’t need Bobby Knight yelling at my daughter because the 12-and-under softball team wasn’t sufficiently ticked off at themselves for losing a softball game. Understand, this was after he already got done saying “I’ve played in 3 softball leagues every year since before you were born. I know a lot more about softball than you will ever know” and other similar things–to 11- and 12-year-old girls. (No wonder he and his wife were getting divorced. With a full-time job and the heavy amount of time he put into his league play at the detriment to his family and the hugely bad attitude he had, who wouldn’t leave him?) By the end of the season, the best, most serious player on the team, the starting All-Star shortstop was dissing him. At one practice, he told the team to spread out and the serious top-flight girl spread-eagled and said “like this?”
I have seen rants and raves and kicking bleachers and other like nonsense out of coaches. I have heard of college coaches treating freshman players like water boys and baggage handlers. I have heard the same of pro coaches. And I would never be able to play under that. “Hey, you. Go get me a bottle of water.” “Get it your own self. That’s not why I’m here.”
I would never be able to play under that. Of course, I kinda understand the reasoning behind it (when the coaches are actually reasoning) but that’s not for me at all. And, again, Bobby Knight amplified (not exemplified) that. But, if you’re going to get into the big-time programs, you will likely have to expect that sort of thing. Sports is not a democracy, it’s not a constitutional republic. It’s a fiefdom. And you had better expect that going in. Can’t overcome? Don’t go.
Was Mike Leach a standard authoritarian coach or was he Bobby Knight? I don’t know. Did Mike Leach commit kidnapping? Any idiot who makes that charge needs his head examined, and pronto. Did Mike Leach cross the line in his authoritarianism? I really don’t know. I just know I likely couldn’t play for the guy. And on that level, that doesn’t make either of us wrong.
I do know there are too many coddled athletes who think the world owes them something, and too many parents who think the sun shines out their kids’ posteriors. And, likely the James gang fits in that category. Whether they were wronged in this case or not is another question. And I don’t have an answer to that question.
John Hitchcock (3fd153) — 12/31/2009 @ 11:43 amOh, and on this whole “cut him, release him from his scholarship” thing, I say forget that rot. If the kid’s got the problem, keep him stuck on the bench and don’t give him a chance to move on. He’s gotta grow up some time. If the coach is the problem, fire him. But nine times out of ten, I’d say it’s the kid that has the problem and not the coach.
John Hitchcock (3fd153) — 12/31/2009 @ 11:46 amBingo.
h2u (147639) — 12/31/2009 @ 11:48 amOh, and on this whole “cut him, release him from his scholarship” thing, I say forget that rot. If the kid’s got the problem, keep him stuck on the bench and don’t give him a chance to move on.
Except, John Hitchcock, you’re keeping someone else from a scholarship opportunity.
MayBee (a4324b) — 12/31/2009 @ 11:55 amOne would hope that all that spent riding-the-pine would encourage either 1) working harder at football or 2) spending more time hitting the books.
Not exactly a waste of a scholarship…
h2u (147639) — 12/31/2009 @ 11:57 amRemember when they used to let Bill Horseface Walton call Luke’s college basketball games? It took a breath-takingly horribly called tourney game for them to stop it. This is not about Adam, MayBee, it is about Craig and the Admin. Though to be fair, Adam sounds like a piece of …
JD (f2435b) — 12/31/2009 @ 11:58 amNo, MayBee, I’m not. Think about it. Problem child gets cut from one program and transfers to another program and gets a scholarship there. Problem child still has a scholarship, preventing someone else from getting one. Problem child still hasn’t learned the right thing. In fact, problem child has been reinforced the wrong thing. Throw a loud enough tantrum and you get your way without having to fix yourself.
Either way, problem child occupies a scholarship.
John Hitchcock (3fd153) — 12/31/2009 @ 11:59 amThe coach just shouldn’t get in a public finger pointing match with his players. It is loser behavior.
this is a truism I think
I wish the kid would do something terribly clever and lemonadey with his lemons. He’s definitely the biggest loser in this deal. Somehow I think this one ends with a fizzle though.
He’s lucky that the coach isn’t a terribly likable person.
happyfeet (71f55e) — 12/31/2009 @ 12:01 pmAnd, actually, keeping problem child there without game time might free up a scholarship rather quickly, as problem child becomes academically ineligible with a 0.0 gpa for a quarter or two. And then no college will give him a scholarship. Then he can be cut and released, finally opening a scholarship to a more deserving person.
John Hitchcock (3fd153) — 12/31/2009 @ 12:02 pmAdam sounds like a piece of sh*t yes but he’s young. It’s nice how he has such a great relationship with his dad.
happyfeet (71f55e) — 12/31/2009 @ 12:03 pmThrow a loud enough tantrum and you get your way without having to fix yourself.
Comment by John Hitchcock — 12/31/2009 @ 11:59 am
Baby Adam probably got picked up every time he started to cry, and after a while mommy and daddy just gave in and let him sleep between them.
Matador (176445) — 12/31/2009 @ 12:07 pmAnd, ya know what? If I had money and my child was a top-flight athlete, I’d tell the college to keep their scholarship and use it on someone who couldn’t afford school. Ya know? And, yeah, I’d be the sort to do that.
John Hitchcock (3fd153) — 12/31/2009 @ 12:07 pmHe took the video with his cell phone?
Why didn’t he call 911 or his dad or the AD or his mother or the school newspaper?
He shows up in sunglasses complaining of light sensitivity then complians when he’s relieved of his discomfort.
Other sites are alleging James asked to be allowed to transfer to SMU but Leach refused to let him go to another D I school in Texas.
Leach has run up the score on so many teams most fans hate him but this kid may have issues too.
Phaedrus (419f68) — 12/31/2009 @ 12:08 pmThe hatey letter-writing campaign against a college kid is kind of not very America I don’t think.
There are so many kids what are more worthless than this one I think. Them ones with their drugs and their tattoos and their herpes and their poor sentence structure.
happyfeet (71f55e) — 12/31/2009 @ 12:11 pmThink about it. Problem child gets cut from one program and transfers to another program and gets a scholarship there.
Well, possibly. Or maybe he doesn’t get another scholarship.
Either way, the coach publicly pointing the finger at the kid and his family is loser behavior.
MayBee (a4324b) — 12/31/2009 @ 12:12 pmIt’s Vinny Testervede in Tampa I’m-color-blind-I hate-my-wife-level loser behavior.
I don’t think Tech had Mr. Adam’s welfare foremost in mind when they fired the coach guy. They had to know they were going to make his life… way way way more uncomfortable than the fired guy ever dreamed of. But they did it anyway, didn’t they? Yes.
happyfeet (71f55e) — 12/31/2009 @ 12:14 pmMayBee! Even though I partly disagree with you on this one, I still love you 😉 !
JD (1e04df) — 12/31/2009 @ 12:15 pmI love you too, JD. And I don’t mind a tough coach.
MayBee (a4324b) — 12/31/2009 @ 12:19 pmI can’t stand a loser mentality, though. And (publicly) blaming anyone but yourself in sports is LOSER.
The hatey letter-writing campaign against a college kid is kind of not very America I don’t think.
There are so many kids what are more worthless than this one I think. Them ones with their drugs and their tattoos and their herpes and their poor sentence structure.
I love happs.
MayBee (a4324b) — 12/31/2009 @ 12:56 pmIf James was diagnosed with a concussion on the 17th, it wasn’t safe for him to practice on the 18th or 19th. That’s not something that should be “sucked up” or “toughed out” – a repeat injury shortly after the first could result in a greater risk of lasting effects – and even heighten the risk of death.
Punishment of a player for not wanting to practice after a concussion is stupid. Only intransigent ignorance explains the coach’s action.
SarahW (692fc6) — 12/31/2009 @ 12:59 pmSarahW, you mean the intransigent ignorance of placing the kid in a place that wasn’t nearly so bright in accordance with the kid’s own doctor’s advice while keeping the kid tied to the team?
John Hitchcock (3fd153) — 12/31/2009 @ 1:09 pmHow does standing around in the dark heighten the risk of death?
LOL
Some people…
h2u (147639) — 12/31/2009 @ 1:13 pmReally? You’re going to try to sell the idea that putting him in that room was an attempt at following doctor’s advice?
MayBee (a4324b) — 12/31/2009 @ 1:22 pmNot my argument — not even sure if it’s John’s — but I do think that Leach wanted to make sure the kid was *at* practice in an environment that didn’t exacerbate his condition.
He was in a dark place out of the sun and wasn’t being screamed or yelled at. I fail to see how he was at all endangered by this…
h2u (147639) — 12/31/2009 @ 1:28 pmIs endangerment the standard, h2u, for college extracurricular programs?
nk (df76d4) — 12/31/2009 @ 1:33 pmnk, I know you don’t much care for college football and the culture surrounding it, but the people playing it and watching it don’t see it the same way as you do.
Football is violent sport. Football is a sport that requires a great deal of discipline. Football coaches, in order to succeed, require a great deal from their players. A lack of effort, a bad attitude, poor work ethic and the other labels attached to Adam James make it clear that Mike Leach was trying to motivate this kid.
If he didn’t want to deal with him he would have cut him. But, most likely as a favor to Texas Tech’s Athletic Director (who I’m certain was in close communication with ESPN’s Craig James), he kept the kid on the squad. So when Adam, who had a history of piss-poor behavior and exaggerating injuries, shows up to a practice in sunglasses and complains of the effect of bright sunlight, what is Leach to do?
He did exactly what I would have done: made an example of the putz while not doing anything to jeopardize his health.
h2u (147639) — 12/31/2009 @ 1:41 pmMaybee, you might wanna go back and read my long-winded comment to better understand my position.
John Hitchcock (3fd153) — 12/31/2009 @ 1:42 pmI read it.
MayBee (a4324b) — 12/31/2009 @ 1:50 pmI also read your short quip about the dark room and doctor’s orders. That’s what I was asking about.
Well, actually, I’m forming this nebulous idea. Getting hired as head coach, college or NFL, is really a result of having friends in the right places. Networking. Some people in the network will be for you, some for somebody else. I think that the bottom line will be that Mike Leach did not have enough friends left at Texas Tech.
But you’re right. I’m from Chicago, and I hate all sports. And all sports teams, the damn losers, 😉
nk (df76d4) — 12/31/2009 @ 1:52 pmA lot of high schools, colleges, and nearly all pro teams have power-drunk coaches with Drill Instructor temperaments, and Bobby Knight amplified (not exemplified) that. There is this whole “untouchable” feel about them, as if they are not answerable to anyone–so long as they win and put posteriors in seats.
My daughter had a coach who had this thing about berating the girls he coached. After one game, which they lost (and they rarely lost), he had them all sit in the dugout while he went on a tirade. I interrupted his tirade to tell my daughter to get out of the dugout; we’re leaving.
The Greg Lopez case–who ended up killing himself after being booked on sexual assault charges from former players–in Colorado is a textbook example of this at its worst. Lopez had established himself as a king-maker for girls basketball in the state because the girls in his program often got D-1 scholarships, so parents let him act like an absolute ogre to their daughters. The fact that Lopez’ verbal and physical abuse was even tolerated and Lopez didn’t have his neck broken by an angry father before the sexual assault charges were pressed is a pretty sad commentary on the state of athletics in this country. The Freepers copied the text of espn’s article on Lopez at the link below, espn doesn’t have it anymore:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1328658/posts
Leach and Mangino were fired for allegations of player abuse, but the line between effective training and motivation, and abuse, is a questionable one. For instance, a book I read on Urban Meyer talked about how he forced his first Bowling Green team to run laps around a gym until they puked in trash cans he had placed in the corners of the gym. Would that be abuse, or effective conditioning practices? I’d be inclined towards the former, seeing as how I lost 25 pounds recently on a workout program and didn’t have to induce vomiting to accomplish it, but others might say that such a tactic is primarily for instilling discipline and determining dedication, and the conditioning question is irrelevant. If the coach’s teams end up winning on the field, it tends to validate the latter view, but where should the line really be drawn? At what point does it go from discipline to abuse?
Another Chris (2d8013) — 12/31/2009 @ 2:01 pmIf the kid is a slacker, and apparently there is histo-factual evidence of that declaration;
if the kid thinks the world owes him something for his talent, and apparently there is evidence for that;
if the kid’s parents think the sun shines out his posterior, and there’s evidence of that;
if the kid is a problem child, and there’s evidence of that;
any coach worth his salt will take the kid down 8 or 10 notches and thumb his nose at the parents.
And, quite frankly, a “walking wounded” status is no excuse for not being team-oriented. If he can’t stand the light, there’s no such thing as putting him in the shade because the light is still there regardless. Put him where the light isn’t there but force him to still be tied to the team. As for the sunglasses thing: If I were to ever coach, and I wouldn’t mind the least coaching track and cross country, no athlete of mine would be permitted to wear shades during team time, period. If it’s shades or a darkened room, the kid goes to a darkened room. But that’s me. YMMV.
John Hitchcock (3fd153) — 12/31/2009 @ 2:05 pmIf it’s shades or a darkened room, the kid goes to a darkened room. But that’s me.
Thanks john, I was sorta thinking the same thing, the kid showed up with dark shades on and based on what we have heard as well as seeing little Adam, I’d say his tude was a bit arrogant over it.
Baseball would be the only sport such eye-wear should be allowed and those would be team issued flippers.
One other above mentioned this but have not heard any more discussion about it.
Why is Adam clearly taking pics of an electrical room? Is this room adjacent to the presser room? Did Adam slip in there take a quick flick then return to the presser room?
It’s beyond obvious that the two rooms are very different.
TC (0b9ca4) — 12/31/2009 @ 3:35 pmAdam James is a spoiled brat who refuses to exert himself and work hard with the team. He was upset that he didn’t get enough playing time. Chris Perry, the sophomore DL that ESPN is quoting as saying he’s happy with Leach being gone, is very similar to James. Perry exuded the same feeling of entitlement; unlike James, Perry was highly recruited out of HS in Miami and had many people telling him how he was God’s gift to football. When he got to Tech and was asked to take his place ad work hard like anyone else, he chaffed.
All of that having been said, my opinion is that this is more about Coach Leach and the TTU administration than it is about the James family. If I were the James family, I’d be pretty ticked off – they’ve been used and manipulated as a pretext for firing Coach Leach (the administration has been trying to figure out how to oust Coach for a while now). Now they’ve been made to look quite bad by the whole drama, and the TTU administration is gleefully celebrating their seemingly successful attempt to fire Coach Leach without losing a lot of money.
Graham H. (bb5105) — 12/31/2009 @ 3:55 pmI like Graham. Helluva QB.
JD (40bcab) — 12/31/2009 @ 4:05 pmYeah, JD, he did the Buckeyes proud when he ran the team.
John Hitchcock (3fd153) — 12/31/2009 @ 4:10 pmand everybody laid the blame on Adam James
happyfeet (e9e587) — 12/31/2009 @ 4:20 pmGraham Harrell is a great QB and a fine young man, JD.
DRJ (84a0c3) — 12/31/2009 @ 4:21 pmHere is a statement that Mike Leach released yesterday after he was fired. I’ve bolded the words that suggest possible legal claims:
Leach’s achievements with Tech’s graduation rate may help him in the court of public opinion.
DRJ (84a0c3) — 12/31/2009 @ 4:30 pmWell, I am more willing to give him the benefit of the doubt with that knowledge, DRJ. Spoiled brat don’t wanna go to school can’t play for me. Sounds like a good building block.
John Hitchcock (3fd153) — 12/31/2009 @ 4:35 pmMan Up Adam…please…what are you going to do in the real world when daddy isn’t around to plead your case?? Deal with it like an adult. You got the man fired, hope you’re happy and goal was met. Didn’t you get recruited by him?? COuldn’t you leave if it was SOOO bad? God help us all if the Adam James’ are in charge in 20 years or so…
scott donnelly (0f04f1) — 12/31/2009 @ 5:31 pmdoes highest graduation rate necessarily mean there’s more studying going on or just more graduating?
happyfeet (e9e587) — 12/31/2009 @ 5:36 pmAt this point, I’m still inclined to believe Mike Leach’s side of story. The entitlement mentality amongst many college students is something that anyone in a position of authority – professor or coach – is all too familiar with.
What Graham H. writes above rings true – the administration likely wanted Leach gone and the incident with Adam James just provided them with a convenient excuse to let him go. Question is, with the administration having felt this way for some time, why did they sign Leach to a contract extension in the first place?
Mike LaRoche (8a3cb5) — 12/31/2009 @ 6:38 pmIf this is indeed where he was made to stay then Leach and his lawyer are both liars. The lawyer showed both places they claim he was kept in interviews and neither looked like that. Can’t believe a word they say now.
Rich Laramore (b5c3ea) — 12/31/2009 @ 9:43 pmNow that Leach’s attorneys have asked for the release of all e-mails and correspondence related to Leach’s firing I think the truth is finally coming out. With the trainer’s statement, it is obvious that when he was placed in the media room Adam James went into the attached electrical closet to make his phone video. He did it quickly because he didn’t want to get caught doing it. He wasn’t placed in the elctrical closet-he went in there on his own so that he could show his daddy his “proof.” From e-mails between the Tech admin and an alumni, it is obvious the plan was always to fire Leach at the end of this season so that they wouldn’t have to pay him his bonus. Leach deferred treatment of James to the trainer, as was stated by Leach and the trainer. James had already been seen by a doctor. James refused to walk around the field during practice-he was milking this for all it was worth. A coach cannot allow this kind of distraction to his players when preparing for a game, so he did the best thing for everyone-he turned Adam James over to the trainer and had him moved away from the team, but still under team supervision. I would speculate that James really just wanted to go back to his house and chill, but Leach requires injured players to remain a part of the team and to participate in practice at whatever level they can. Adam James is the one who told Leach that the light bothered his eyes, so he had to wear the sunglasses. Funny, when my daughter had a mild concussion in HS her coach also required her to attend practice. She was asked to walk around the gym as much as possible. She didn’t wear sunglasses either. She did what was asked by her coach-who followed directions from our family doctor, because she was eager to get playing time again. She didn’t miss any class time. Craig James should be ashamed of himself and his son for creating/fabricating this story. Leach is a quirky guy, but he’s too smart to ever intentionally hurt a player. Leach has a law degree from Pepperdine. He is definitely smarter than your average coach.
sup207 (519495) — 1/1/2010 @ 8:03 amDid anyone ever explain why this dedicated athlete was carrying a cell phone at practice?
JD (48aa1d) — 1/1/2010 @ 8:16 amH2u, way to be a dishonest jerk.
Wasn’t the player punished for not sucking it up after a concussion? The playing is the risk. The punishment was for not playing. A punishment encourages said kid and others who don’t want to be singled out like him to play in spite of injury.
SarahW (692fc6) — 1/1/2010 @ 9:02 amsup207 If your daughter had been experiencing photosensitivity it would be a sign she shouldn’t play yet. Why would you presume your daughter’s experience defines the course of concussions in general?
SarahW (692fc6) — 1/1/2010 @ 9:08 amNo, I don’t think so. Although I never played college ball, I have played organized football from elementary through high school.
In my limited experience, it would be alien to football-culture for a coach to want a player to practice with any sort of head-injury.
Injuries are a part of the game and every football coach has to deal with them. Aside from moral and legal considerations, it makes no sense to compel an injured player to actively practice — especially a diagnosed head-injury. This would aggravate the injury and make things worse for the player and for the team — something Coach Leach would know from the sheer weight of his experience.
However, team participation is still a requirement. If medically able, such a player would be required to show-up.
Although I have no idea what happened, if James did indeed lie about being sent to the electrical closet (and film it), when in fact he was sent to the media room, well then that says it all. The coach should not have been fired. In such an instance, he did the right thing (ethically, legally, and football-wise).
Pons Asinorum (ea2afc) — 1/1/2010 @ 9:51 amOne more rant from me to start the new year. In the last thread, Beldar said this will reflect on Michigan State as well.
To which I say– This has NOTHING to do with Michigan State.
Universities frequently lose coaches before bowl games, either through dismissal or through coaches taking new jobs (I’m looking at you, Nick Saban). Texas Tech is just another University that has shed its coach pre-bowl game.
Michigan State has it’s own problem players. Two stars were released from the team in late November.
You might not have heard about it, because Coach Dantonio made a one-sentence statement and let it go at that. He didn’t get on a soapbox and complain about how hard it was to have to deal with two promising players who chose to misbehave off the field. He just let them go and got on with it.
That is WINNER behavior from a coach.
If Leach can’t handle himself and his team, don’t blame Michigan State.
The end.
MayBee (a4324b) — 1/1/2010 @ 12:14 pmhttp://dennis-dodd.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/view/6270202
I received two calls this week from people I trust saying James had bothered coaches and that he had tried to leverage his influence at the network to get his son playing time. Big Daddy James had become a royal pain in the you-know-what. None of that should dismiss the assertion that Leach allegedly mistreated James’ son. But if a court ultimately rules in favor of Leach in what is sure to be an unlawful termination suit brought by Leach, James’ job could be in danger.
I thought from the beginning it was borderline unethical that friends and co-workers of James were reporting this story. It had that “railroad” smell to it from the beginning with James being portrayed as the protective parent.
jbs (328737) — 1/1/2010 @ 11:29 pmhttp://www.redraiders.com/2010/01/02/techs-sworn-statements-contradict-leach/
SAN ANTONIO – In newly released sworn statements, a Texas Tech team doctor and head trainer say fired coach Mike Leach mistreated receiver Adam James after the Red Raiders’ sophomore receiver suffered a concussion.
Affidavits given by Dr. Michael Phy and head trainer Steve Pincock both said the dark places James was made to spend two days’ worth of practices were inappropriate medical procedure. The sworn statements were dated Jan. 1 and released by Tech on Saturday.
Phy said James reported symptoms of at least a mild concussion on Dec. 16, whereupon he gave instructions for James to miss the remainder of practices leading up to Saturday’s Alamo Bowl and be reevaluated over a week’s time.
Pincock’s statement confirms that James was placed in an equipment shed next to the Tech practice fields for a Dec. 17 workout and in a room near the Jones AT&T Stadium visitors’ locker room for a Dec. 19 workout. There was no practice the day in between.
Pincock said Leach was angry at James and said he was not aware of any other Tech players “ever being placed in a darkened shed or room similar to James.
“Other players who have sustained concussions in the past were sometimes placed in the physician’s examination room with the lights dimmed, or in the weight room or athletic training room,’’ Pincock said. “I feel that Leach’s treatment of James was inappropriate, and I did not agree with it. However, I felt I had to follow the instructions of the head coach.’’
Leach and his attorney, Ted Liggett, have said James was placed at no additional risk or harm, according to Phy.
In the affidavit released Saturday, Phy wrote, ‘‘I did not instruct anyone with Texas Tech to place James in an enclosed and dark space, and in my medical opinion there was no medical reason to require James to stand in an enclosed dark space for up to three hours. In spite of the fact that James may not have been harmed by these actions, I consider this practice inappropriate and a deviation from the medical standard of care.’’
They (Leach and Liggett) just keep digging deeper and deeper, like some here….
Teetop (1f1551) — 1/2/2010 @ 8:33 pmoK first of all the new released statements by both the doctor and trainer do not contradict anything that Leach or his attorney stated or the previous statements of both the trainer or the physcian. The trainer did not take back the fact that it was an equipment shed and not an electrical closed or the fact that two people where constantly checking on James or the fact that he was not locked in, and second all the doctor statements says is the he was told by tech that james had to stand for several hours and from his medical knowlege that was not appropriate medical standard of care meaning he as a physician could prescribe that treatment or it would be malpractice from his concern but Leach is not a doctor and he still stated that James was not harmed which is the core statement in the complaint and the one of the reasons for Leach being fired. Also need to remind people that the texas tech athletic director also viewed both the areas where james was placed and stated him self that the athletic shed can not be locked cause the key had been broken off in the lock years ago, there for just the fact that James stated he was locked in and not permitted to leave is a lye and it possible to conclude that the rest of his statement is a lye and I am sure that Leach and his lawyer will be able to prove this case in court.
sweetjones01 (ba7853) — 1/3/2010 @ 1:27 pmand that’s not how you treat a kid because he’s there to have an education and maybe to have some fun plying football and not to make you a multi-million dollar salary and if you were any kind of decent human being you would say go home son and come back when you can play and not be some total asshole who thinks other peoples’ kids are his property just because they want to play some football that some crinies of his think he’s worth being paid millions of dollars for
nk (df76d4) — 1/3/2010 @ 1:34 pmsweetjones01 sounds like Charlie Brown’s teacher…
Agreed nk, Leach thinks he is some kind of G_d.
As well as others here trying to spin the newest information available now. *rolls eyes*
My questions is;
Where is DRJ and H2U now?!
Teetop (1f1551) — 1/3/2010 @ 4:42 pmI’m here and looking forward to Leach’s day in court.
DRJ (84a0c3) — 1/3/2010 @ 5:02 pmAs I am, DRJ…..
On the losing end.
Teetop (1f1551) — 1/3/2010 @ 9:20 pmAdam James is a fraud, liar, ignorate ass and lazy! And when this is all over with he will still be nothing but trash, the dirty white trash that smells! No amount of money can change trash! His dad is a sad excuse of a father! The damage he has done to this thing he raised is unforgivable this boy is a criminal and will some day be on the run from FBI, ATF, DEA and will see the inside of a Prision!
Sheila (f8d212) — 1/6/2010 @ 10:33 pmSheila, you really, truly, deeply hate this person.
All Adam James did was tell the truth to his Athletic Director. He had a video. There’s a degree of opinion out there as to how cruel this was, but the guy had a brain injury and was not allowed to leave. Maybe there’s a defense for Leach… maybe it wasn’t his idea or this isn’t so bad in that environment. Maybe we want our college students to be treated this way to make them tough or macho. Whatever.
but Leach promised Texas Tech he would obey his contract, and Adam complained to the school about the way his school was treating him.
Yeah, that’s harmful to the scoreboard and Adam has earned the hatred of a lot of people who deeply care about the scoreboard. Indeed, he needs security from more violence and injury.
In your world, he didn’t just sin. He’s unforgivable. Worse than a Barabbas. And you stand in judgment of people, and call them trash. I think you need to turn your attention onto yourself, and stop watching games on TV for a long time until you have the extremely easy to come by backbone to take it in stride.
Dustin (b54cdc) — 1/6/2010 @ 10:42 pmNew info about how Leach acted during the investigation;
http://lubbockonline.com/stories/011010/loc_544920864.shtml
Leach got what he deserved after cussing a few people out. Like I said, Leach is not a God.
Teetop (1f1551) — 1/10/2010 @ 8:30 amHaiti: Late breaking news from Haiti, Victims of the horrible earthquake, after seeing the wonderful spacious shed Adam James was “locked” in are requesting that TexasTech disasemble and ship it to to Haiti as part of the relief efforts there.UN officials estimate that 4-5 families could potentially be housed there. They are requesting the fans and Ice machine be shipped with the “shed” as well. One Haitian man was quoted as saying “If mike Leach sent me to that “Shed” i dont know if he could get me out.” As victims wait for beds and treatment at makeshift hospitals, we know one thing perspective is liberating!
bsexpress (454c94) — 1/23/2010 @ 8:49 pm