Support for Leach?

[HANC]

First, most know that I am a HS football coach, and I love kids and I have been accused of being too "nice" to my team instead of being a "hard-a$$".

 

With that said, I am asking if anyone kind of supports Leach here. I absolutely agree with the fact that if he ordered anyone "locked" into an area, that is WRONG by all means and should be fired...

 

But, can anyone see how Craig James' kid might be a jerk. I honestly believe most of Leach's story. A lot of assistant coaches have said that this kid is more interested in qustioning the coaches, offering advise, and thinking he knows it all.............. we all have had kids like that on our team........

 

They say they have had to discipline him for being "lazy"......and that daddy likes to interfer a little bit. I can't imagine Craig James trying to throw his name around ..

 

I can picture a kid that the staff is "fed up with", coming to practice with hat on backwards, sunglasses on, not dressed in team gear (all of this was reported)....walking around acting "cocky" saying that he had a mild concussion. As a coach, I could see this causing Leech to hit his "boiling" point and wanting to put this kid in his place. I bet he did order James' into a dark closet, just in spite.

 

** I don't condone any of this, but I can sure see how a "reportedly" cocky-know it all kid- claiming mild injury could drive a coach to want to make an example of him. I would have just not let him suit up for the next 2-3 weeks, but Leech is a different egg.

[VA Husker Fan]

I think it's tough to find any winners in this. Leach is a loose cannon who thinks he is answerable to no one, and what he did was out of line, though, I don't think it should have cost him his job. James sounds like a prima donna. The administration was clearly looking to get rid of Leach, and being able to skip that end of year bonus hurried what seems like a bad decision.

 

I kind of hate to see Leach go, because it's good to see someone break out of the box with both their offense and general style. But he also sounds like a jerk and maybe had it coming.

 

I have the impression that there are a lot of college coaches who have treated kids poorly to push them out of their scholarship. I don't think "a lot" is the majority, but more than a couple of rogues.

[mmmtodd]

i think hes an idiot, but i admire him for not backing down. its clear through emails found on both sides that NO ONE was up to any good.

 

the tech administration, boosters, leach, and the james family should all be ashamed. i award no points.

 

oh, and its been awhile since ive been so incensed with ESPN.

[BIGREDFAN_in_OMAHA]

While I agree that Leach crossed the line and how he handled it he deserved to be fired the James kid deserved every punishment before the concussion. Little Princess Pony will get his.

[NoKoolAidForME]

What people are missing in this is Leach decided to sign James to a scholarship when no other coach did. Why do you think? Maybe he wanted to exploit the James family as well. The receiver coach begged for Leach not to sign the kid and he did anyway. James was not a D1 athlete and Leach signed him. IMHO he got what he deserved.

[HANC]

NoKoolAid:

 

Thanks, I wasn't aware of the fact that Leach was the only one who wanted to sign him....that's interesting...

 

Watching sports sound-off with Travis Justice (douche) and Jerell Pippens, it was funny, because they both said basically the same thing. Leach screwed up and was wrong, but that James was a cocky kid who needed to be put in his place....... once again, he should have just gotten rid of him....but this runs soooo much deper than this issue.

[WCHusker]

I support Leach. Adam James is a spoiled, lazy punk and his ESPN daddy is an intrusive moron who would probably drive any coach crazy.

 

This whole thing was a shakedown orchestrated by the big wigs at TTU-that has already been proven by the emails that leaked out. After the 2008 contract, they were already trying to find a way to get rid of him.