Team Leach?

[gibu]

I really haven't been paying a whole lot of attention to the whole Texas Tech thing and really don't have that strong opinions on it all. I've read and seen a few articles on it though. From what I've read these are my impressions of the whole deal.

The most obvious thing seems to that James is a spoiled brat of a kid that has a privileged attitude just because he has a dad thats on TV all the time. I'm not sure how far he thinks this can take him, but his stats don't seem to match his arrogance and it's probably too late for his dad to help fix any of this since he let his boy get like this to begin with. The fans seem to be pretty certain on this point though and early player interviews all seemed to point in this direction as well. There was a sign at the game that made me laugh. It had an infant t-shirt on it that said "My Dad Rocks".

It sounds like James was throwing his attitude around as usual to the point the coach got fed up and reacted in a way that he usually doesn't but was none the less harmless to the kid. Somehow the "electrical closet" thing got blown up as the big deal but doesn't sound like thats actually what happened. Nobody in such a position of authority and respectability though is going to be ok with some snot nosed kid coming along and telling him how its going to be just because he's more special then the other players somehow. Leach does sound like a tough but fair authoritarian type coach. In other words, the kind that may ruffle feathers, but gets things done. What I would think of as a "typical" winning coach.

Thats all fine, but then something happened with the admin of the school to blow it all up and force him out. This is the part I'm most uncertain about. Who at the school was looking to get him out and why? He just signed a new contract. Was someone not happy with that contract? It really does have the feel though that someone was just looking for an excuse and seized on the first thing that came along. Contracts have to go though a long approval process at a school. K-states problems with Ron Prince shed a lot of light on this. Did someone change their mind, or did someone not agree with the decision?

I think once its all said and done though Leach is eventually going to look like somebody who fell to alterior motives and will be snapped up by a school somewhere that wants to win. The biggest point that leads me to this conclusion is the issue of the "electrical closet". Someone snatched right on to this point and pushed it hard without even taking time to look into if it was true or not. Thats someone with an agenda.

 

[thinde]

I agree with you 100%. One thing for sure is,Leach will not stay unemployed for long. Look at the mans record, he knows how to win.

 

[Jonesy]

That was a very opinionated post you made. You may be right, you may not be close in your assessment. I ask you one question though.....if your child was playing for Mike Leach, he got a concussion, and was treated in the way Adam James was (which was verified by the head trainer), would you not want Leach gone immediately? I certainly would. Don't worry, Al Davis will be looking for a head coach in the next week and what a better fit for Ingenious Al than Mike Leach. A pairing made in heaven.

 

[GregSVT]

It's very suspect that he was going to be getting an $800k bonus a week before this was all brought to the public and then they fire him the day of the hearing he called for. I think if Tech wanted Leach to stay they would have tried to sweep this under the rug as much as possible and made things right on both sides. The school was obiviously not happy with the contract and the bonus and they weaseled their way out of it....that's my opinion though. I know plenty of other Tech alumn that agree though.

 

[bfreebern]

So because he thought his shit didn't stink, gave Leach the right to do this?

That was a very opinionated post you made. You may be right, you may not be close in your assessment. I ask you one question though.....if your child was playing for Mike Leach, he got a concussion, and was treated in the way Adam James was (which was verified by the head trainer), would you not want Leach gone immediately? I certainly would. Don't worry, Al Davis will be looking for a head coach in the next week and what a better fit for Ingenious Al than Mike Leach. A pairing made in heaven.

I agree. If this happened to my son, I'd be pissed enough to do something about it.

 

[Jonesy]

- I have no doubt that Tech was unhappy with the contract they gave Leach. That's their fault...they gave it to him.

- I have no doubt that the only reason this came to light was because the player's Father is an ESPN analyst (which is a shame).

- I have no doubt this has happened before to other player at other schools. Maybe not the same treatment, but some type of humiliation in front of their teammates. People are upset that it was their school it happened to and their beloved coach.

- I agree that the Tech alumni are pissed with James and are on the Coach's side as shown with the classless treatment James got in the bowl game.

- Don't you think it speaks volumes about Leach that the majority of the players that have come out and spoken after this has happened are GLAD he's gone?? Haven't seen too many interviews with players that are disappointed.

- It's kinda like when you were a kid out with 6 of your friends and you all stole a pack of bubble gum and you were the only one caught. 6 other sets of parents never heard about it...but one did and you got your ass busted.


None of this stuff matters. Leach did something wrong, got caught, and got punished. It shouldn't matter that James had a famous Father and if people are going to argue that point, it's a damn shame. It shouldn't matter whose son it was that got treated that way, the point is, no coach should treat their player in that way. I'm glad he got fired. Whether it's Mike Leach or Joe Blow that coaches the local High School team, any man that treats a kid that way should have their ass shown the door....and then kicked!

 

[gibu]

Well I guess this is why I brought it up. Like I mentioned, I haven't been keeping up with it all and probably don't know all the details that somebody more up to speed on it all might have. I'm really not certain what he did to the kid that was so bad? I'm not saying he was right, I'm just saying I might not know the whole story here.

1. From what I read the problem started with the kid not following team rules for players on the injured list. The first practice there was an incident it was because the player arrived to practice in street clothes despite team rules that required otherwise. I'm really not sure about the second practice. I just read that he was "more suitably attired". I'm not sure what that means? If it was that he put on a jersey or something but was wearing jeans again I'm sure that would piss the coach off even more. I just don't know.

2. The part that bothered me the most was the stuff thrown around about the "electrical closet" that turned out to not really be the case. From what I read now he stayed in an equipment shed the first practice, and a media room the second practice. These don't sound like evil places to me. Grown adults work and make a living in these locations. This doesn't sound harmful to me?

3. I have a lot of trouble not taking the trainers comments after the fact with more then a little grain of salt. He still has a job and I'm sure he's determined to keep it that way. At the same time he has gotten a lot of attention with the interviews he's given. I also have trouble not taking current players comments with a grain of salt. The kid may have friends that want to see his side of things or other players that may have had run ins with the coach themselves.

4. The only people I have no trouble taking at face value is former players that now have no ax to grind. I Haven't heard any negative comments from former players, only praise. Players that may or may not have had run ins with the coach as well in there day, but now with a little time behind them seem to appreciate the guy. Perhaps there are former players with a different story to tell that I didn't happen to hear?

5. There has been so much back and forth on the issue that now it seems hard to tell what was the real story. Some say the coach had affidavits from people for his hearing but then after he was fired the story suddenly changes. Is that because they are free from the coach, or because he's gone and they still have to get along with those who remain? I really don't know.

6. If all comes down to him yelling or even cussing at a kid, then I don't see the big deal there. I didn't play college ball, but I had a lot of coaches in high school back in my day. Some where soft spoken and others yelled at me pretty good. Thats just part of football. I don't have kids of my own, but my parents expected me to handle it myself like a man. Sports is to teach young men more then just a game.

I guess the two big issues are trying to make the electrical closet out to be something it wasn't, and I don't see what was so bad with how the kid was treated? A dark media room doesn't sound like hell to me?? If he endangered the kids health in some way then I'm all ears and he's a bastard. If all he did was yell at a kid then I think there was more at work then the coaches methods.

Now that I think about it a little more I guess I also haven't ever heard what usual team policy is and how this incident strayed from that policy? This is not the first concussion, how is it usually handled on that team? How is that different from other top tier teams? How did this incident differer from the usual policy?

 

[Jonesy]

This is the problem with the "he said/she said" stories...there are very few facts that make it into the light causing outsiders to come to their own conclusions and assumptions. Arguments can be made for both sides, but there seem to be only 3 people that know the truth and one of them changes his story. Regardless of the end outcome of this, two reputations will forever be tied together with this "scandal". Both James and Leach, no matter what accomplishments they have in the future, this is what we will all remember them by.

I really don't care what goes on with this little episode, I guess I just imagined how I would react if my son were to come to me telling me these types of things. I'm sure parts may be embellished a little bit, but I would still believe him.

 

[JHolmes763]

For someone who's not paying a lot of attention, you sure got it all figured out.

Use Occam's Razor here: "the simplest explanation or strategy tends to be the best one." He did something that was bad enough to get him fired. Doesn't matter if they were hoping to fire him or not. I don't buy into conspiracy theories and that was all orchestrated to come out days before he was due a bonus so they could fire him before hand.

I'm sure someone will hire him, anyway.

-John