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Texas Tech coach Mike Leach is an abuser who should be fired

Texas Tech coach Mike Leach’s treatment of injured player Adam James was an indefensible abuse of power, and he should be fired. The allegations, reported by the Associated Press, are detailed below. Leach does not dispute the facts, but denies that he did anything wrong-not a big surprise, since abusers always rationalize their behavior.

Evidently, there is no express prohibition in Texas Tech’s rules against making a concussed player stand-on multiple occasions-in “the darkest place they could find” for hours, after removing anything he could sit on or lean against.

In Leach’s mind, it’s all the fault of the concussed player, who was “a slacker” and whose father, Craig James, “acted like a Little League Dad.”

Treating a child, or a spouse, in similar fashion would result in criminal charges. Emotional abuse and coercion of a student athlete can never be excused by saying “it wasn’t like he was physically injured” by the treatment.

The most disgusting part of this is the comments on Sports Illustrated and other message boards:

“For the kid to go home and cry to his parents is disgusting…at real schools with non-pansy players, things like this are ordinary.”

“The James kid is a sissy.”

“Big ups to Coach Leach. Jame’s fat little girlfriend probably told him he’s the next Mark Ingram.” (Note: a reference to Leach saying his players listened to their “fat little girlfriends” instead of preparing for an opponent.)

“I have no problem with what Leach did. If it was my kid, I’d be ok with it. He didn’t make him practice. And if the kid is a whiner or has a big head, maybe he’ll learn something?”

“The powers that be at TT better wake up. The loss of Coach Leach will be felt for years. Maybe Myers had better be reminded that he has a lot of new seats to fill at the Stadium. Better still, just get rid of the REAL problem…Myers.”

“2 coaches said that adam is a goldbricker and the whole team knows it”

Here’s what the AP is reporting:

James was injured Dec. 16 and the next day was diagnosed with a concussion by team doctors, the person close to James said. The person alleged James was sequestered at two consecutive practices: — On Dec. 17, James said Leach told trainers to put him ”the darkest place you can find.” James was sent to an equipment shed near the practice field, where a member of the athletic staff checked on James to make sure he did not lean against anything or sit on the floor. James said Leach told him that if he came out he would be kicked off the team. — When the team returned to practice two days later, on Dec. 19, James said Leach told trainers to ”find the tightest, darkest place” for the player. James, in street clothes, was put in an electrical closet inside the football stadium for hours, again monitored by a member of the athletic staff. The person close to the inquiry said James spent two hours on Dec. 17 in a shed the size of a one-car garage that was filled with coolers and that the player was ”caught” sitting down on one. All the coolers were removed, the person said, and James was shut inside. On Dec. 19, James was taken to an electrical room but the buzz was too loud, so he was taken to a press room where the furniture was removed, the person said.

Texas Tech asked Leach to apologize. He refused. Texas Tech can’t back down from a clear challenge to institutional authority over an employee-winning coach or not. Which demonstrates that Leach is not only an arrogant jerk, he’s also a fool.

Texas Tech, do the right thing.

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