Read the debate intro and Loyal Homer’s argument that Texas Tech was wrong to fire Mike Leach as head coach.
Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach was suspended and ultimately fired because wide receiver Adam James said that Leach locked him in an electrical closet after he suffered a concussion and was unable to practice. For his part, Leach said that he did not do anything wrong, that his goal was to keep James in a cool and dark place, and that a doctor verified James was not in any harm.
James alleges that Leach did not believe he had suffered a concussion, and used the confinement as punishment. Leach refutes that by saying that James has never put forth the appropriate effort, and has exaggerated the real situation to get back at Leach for not getting enough playing time.
Both Leach and James have had supporters come forward on their behalf, and it seems likely that we will never know EXACTLY what took place. With all of that uncertainty, administrators at Texas Tech were faced with the difficult task of addressing this very public (and very ugly) situation and deciding the best way to move forward for their university.
In my role as a business manager, I have been involved as a mediator in several disputes (better known as “he said-she said” conflicts). There is one principle that a mediator must understand when coming into one of these situations to divine enough certainty to determine the best action moving forward.
The sides may tell two different and extreme stories, but there is usually truth somewhere in the middle.
Adam James classified his time as being unable to lean or sit while confined, under guard, in a tight, small enclosure as punishment. Leach classified his actions as having James placed under a trainer’s supervision in a cool and dark place until he was able to return to the field.
While the two statements may not be in agreement, one thing can be ascertained – Adam James was not treated in a manner consistent with the “normal” treatment of concussion-related injuries. If Leach had followed the established protocol for handling players who had experienced concussion-related injuries, and done what “usually” would happen in a case such as this, there would not be an issue. Instead, Leach had James moved into a non-traditional location for a non-traditional treatment.
Did Leach do anything wrong, or did he endanger Adam James in any way? Not necessarily, but that is not the point. He deviated from protocol, which creates the POTENTIAL for harm and creates the POTENTIAL for inappropriate action. That is why protocol is established, to prevent these situations from happening. If Leach followed protocol, and did what he was SUPPOSED to do, James would have had no grounds to question his actions. End of story. Instead, he imposed his own restrictions on the player even though he is not trained (or authorized) to do so.
The fact that a physician later determined that no additional harm was done to James does NOT excuse Leach’s behavior. That is like saying that driving drunk is okay because you didn’t cause an accident.
Leach, who is no stranger to controversy (see his infamous “fat little girlfriends” press conference), created a divisive atmosphere within his locker room. Clearly, there were players for the Red Raiders who did not like Leach’s coaching method. They did not feel supported by him and they did not feel comfortable playing for him. Several of those players have already spoken out since Leach’s firing with statements like, “We practiced hard this week. We had less stress this week. Why? Because he’s gone!” or, “It wasn’t just about Adam. It was always a negative vibe.” The implication behind those statements is that Leach was not a coach that the players felt comfortable playing for.
When you consider the position that school administrators in Lubbock were put in, they really did not have any choice other than to fire Leach. He was failing in his duties to create an environment where the players felt supported, he was an unpopular and divisive coach with a reputation for scandal and controversy, and he did not follow the established protocol for the treatment of a player with injuries.
Whether Mike Leach was intentionally trying to punish Adam James or not, Texas Tech was right to fire him.
A suspension…maybe. But a firing? Thats too much!
Also, much like it is expected that Craig take up for his son, wouldn’t we expect the Texas Tech players to do the same for their teammate and their friend?
It’s funny to me that the people being critical of James are current players. His former players and people he used to coach with are backing him up…and they have no reason to cover for him.
Mike Leach wasn’t fired for what he did to Adam James, that was just the straw that broke the camel’s back.
I knew someone who got fired from their job after being late for work. The reason they were late was because they got a speeding ticket, but the speeding ticket was not the reason they got fired. They got fired because they were tardy to work 20 times in the same year, and the speeding ticket was just the most recent incident.
Likewise, this incident was just the latest in a string of problems created by Leach. He had lost the ability to positively represent the University, there was evidence that the players no longer felt comfortable playing for him, and he has created many problems for Texas Tech since taking over their program. He was fired because of his history as being involved in too many controversies, and causing too many problems. If this were the ONLY incident in Leach’s past, he probably would have been only suspended.
Also, it doesn’t matter the reason why his players are speaking out against him. The only thing that matters is that his players no longer wanted to play for him. Therefore, he can no longer be a successful coach. Why on earth would Texas Tech keep Leach as head coach if the players on the team all are against him?