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Sure, all of which had actual evidence presented against them. Hey, I don’t know Leach personally. If he mistreated his players, fire him. But don’t punish someone (and yes, suspension is punishment) based on nothing but a claim.
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IF he was made to stand in a closet, which is a claim that is in quite a bit of doubt, then he was mistreated.
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Money talks, and boosters often have more power within a program that the head coach, which is a shame.
See, this story reads more like Leach is being punished for offending Craig James, and not apologizing, not for any abuse.
It should be noted that Leach is not the only one getting hurt by the suspension. His entire team has to deal with the fallout of having the head coach not there for them as they do final preparation for their bowl game.
AND MSU has eliminated 14 players, 9 in one big bunch lately. If I were a money bettor I wouldn’t put 2 cents on this game.
Maybe. It’s also possible they ordered him to apologize because they knew this would look bad and wanted to cover their asses.
Or they didn’t want to lose James’s money.
Watching Craig James on ESPN. ESPN is in full “cover the homer’s ass” mode. This is pathetic. All softball questions, and no real questions about the circumstances surrounding the incident - namely, whether the “torture closet” was really a closet.
I think Craig James’ own experiences at SMU and the Patriots has to be considered. He obviously is familiar with coaches and punishment. Running the steps in the stadium is a common punishment. But there is a line between fair punishment and chicken shit stuff. Anyone that has played knows what it’s like running those damn steps. I did it plenty of times.
I think Craig James looked at this punishment and realized it wasn’t right. You don’t punish a kid for a medical injury. He had a doctors statement. Leach went to far.
Wait. How, exactly, did he go too far? He put him in an air-conditioned room with an exercise bike. I might add that the dark room is a frequent treatment for a concussion.
Putting a kid with a medical certificate in a dark room and making him stand sounds like a chicken shit punishment to me. He’s being punished for following the doctor’s orders.
Leach is old school. Get your bell rung? Man up, take some aspirin and get your ass on the field. Guys that went to doctors shaved their legs and wore dresses. All the coaches were like that 40 years ago. Woody Hayes, Bear Bryant were legendary for their discipline. My coach made us run till we puked nearly every week. I played hurt and have a bad knee that gives me hell to this day.
Leach needs to realize it’s 2010 and not 1967. The days of making kids play hurt are over. The future health consequences are more important than a game.
So, uh, you have no evidence, then?
That’s true.
Leach is going to court over this…
Hearing is set for 8:30 AM. He’s seeking a TRO to let him coach in the Alamo Bowl. I think he’s got at least a shot at getting relief here. Not sure exactly what the standard is in Texas, but he’s probably got to irreparable harm and other things. The harm part should be easy. Coaching a particular bowl game is a unique event that can’t be repeated later.
Fraid not. 
I’m just going by what was reported. If it’s not true then Leach will coast by with a slap on the wrist. If he gets fired that’ll pretty much confirm what’s been reported.
He’s taking this to court, over a bowl game suspension? Man, he must really want to get fired. He’s practically spitting in the athletic directors face.
The current information from a “source close to the investigation”, which appears to be more accurate as to what did happen says,
I think the troubling nature of the allegations boils down to two things:
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Did they in fact prevent the player from sitting down? If so, why? It reeks of being punished.
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Was the intent of the coach to punish the player for his apparent lack of fortitude?
If either of those turns out to be the truth, then I think the coach is on thin ice.
Except there is no irreparable harm to him. As long as he’s getting paid either way, what difference does it make as an employee whether or not he gets to experience being a coach at this particular bowl game?
He’ll also have to establish that he’s very likely to win on the merits of the case. I think that’s also relatively tough for him to meet, if as is being alleged elsewhere, the university is close to a decision to fire him based upon the results of the investigation to date.
Personally, I think the TRO request is nothing more than an attempt to put pressure on the university to divulge what it has concluded as soon as possible, so that Leach’s attorney can put pressure on them to solve the situation with some sort of negotiated payout before they have to pull the trigger on Thursday, if they intend to save the $.8 Million.
If I were representing him, I’d argue that coaching in this bowl game is something he’s earned by leading his team to be selected. It’s an honor that should not be taken from him without due process, which he has not yet received. The “glory” (for lack of a beter term) of coaching a bowl game is not the same as money he receives in salary.
I suspect you’re right about him also having to show he’s likely to prevail on the merits, and that’s going to be more difficult to prove, especially in an expedited hearing.
He may also have to demonstrate that the potential harm to himself outweighs the burden on the school if the TRO were to be granted. Really not seeing much of a burden to Texas Tech in having their coach do his job for one more game. Whatever he’s done or not done can be handled after the game.
Gonna be interesting to see what the court does…
His lawyer thinks everything is ok because the kid wasn’t physically injured by his coach? :dubious:
Punishment doesn’t have to be physical. Being humiliated in front of your peers is punishment. Leach was making an example of this kid for the team.
I understand the lawyer is doing his job. But, he needs to say something better than this.
Yeah, I kind of rolled my eyes at that. My gut reaction was that this is the country we get for going along with waterboarding.
After all this I would be astounded if there was a line on the game.
Even if this is the case, I’m not sure why this is an issue. Coaches make examples of players all the time. If you’re not quick enough off the ball in practice, you run sprints. If you run your mouth, you run laps until your attitude improves. If the kid isn’t hurt, IMO, no big deal. It’s football.
The question is if James was punished BECAUSE of his medical status. If so, then I have no problem with showing Leach the door.
If, however, it was another issue (running bad routes, having a crap attitude, dropping balls, late for practice, or any of a million other things), then this whole thing is crap.