Spread Thin

What does it take to become the head coach at Texas Tech? Well, thankfully, not very much. Mike Leach was just some guy who ran Oklahoma's offense. He was some guy who slept in his car over night for the interview for his first chance at big time head coaching. The guy from Wyoming with no more playing experience than your washed up high school football friend and had traveled the globe so much in his career that you'd think he was looking for the fountain of youth wound up getting the job. Over the past four days while everyone anticipated what teams were going to make the NCAA tournament, a small fan base waited eagerly to hear the depositions of the four major people involved in the termination of Mike Leach.

Kent Hance went first. He outlined (under oath) exactly what went down including a memorandum sent by school president Guy Bailey stating that the matter of December 17th (when Adam James had been accused of being mistreated) be resolved in reprimand and the matter be closed on December 27th without termination. Well, apparently that didn't sit well with the face of our university, Craig James. Yep, the father of a below average, untalented, waste of a scholarship and former University ruiner himself was back to his old ways that ruined the SMU program: manipulation. Quite perfect that he's going into politics if you ask me. Kent Hance said under oath that Craig James was not satisfied with this matter and ordered Mike Leach be terminated. Hance then presented Craig James' concern to the Board of Regents who also shared the desire to terminate such a coach. Under oath Hance stated that the Board of Regents is not to have any responsibility in making decisions on personal matters such as a player's father being upset with the head coach, at least when his university president stated nothing to occur.

We all heard the lies spewed on ESPN and the poor little innocent voice of a "concerned father". Give me a break. Up next was Mike Leach. After being questioned for several hours he then spent a few moments to speak about being back in Lubbock, the place that mike lived and mutually loved one another equally. Through tears in his eyes and several heart breaking pauses, he fought back emotion as he said "It was a great 10 years. What can I say? It was 10 years." Hardly the coach that had the fan base divided questioning his intentions of leaving the university to pursue another job nearly every off season. He maintained his story and nothing had changed.

Sunday was the day, however. The day that the two noted liars (Craig and Adam James) were to be questioned. Under oath Craig James admitted that he hired a public relations firm to give manipulated information to the media in order to smear the head coach he wanted terminated (and that the PR firm created pseudonyms to litter the internet with the lies through blogs and message boards). Previously, during Kent Hance's deposition, it was noted that Craig James would not be satisfied with any other fate than termination. Then walks in Adam. Adam then finally admitted what we knew all along. The truth came out that the electrical closet videos were filmed under guidance of the PR firm (not during practice hours) and that at no time was he ever locked in, present in, or requested to go into the electrical closet. In fact, he even stated that the treatment caused no physical harm and that he felt the coach should not be terminated for the actions that took place on December 17th.

So there you have it. The smoking gun, if you will. Not earth shattering, but certainly something to knock you off balance. Texas Tech still claims the termination was due to Mike Leach not cooperating with the university when they unlawfully (and not contractually obligated) requested him to sign a letter that would essentially have him admit wrong doing with Adam and that no action similar would ever happen again. Why would he sign that? Well, not signing it was what got him fired, allegedly. The perfect situation. "Insubordination". Release the coach that the Board didn't want, that potentially future politician and ever so connected Craig James didn't want, but turn your back on the true identity of the university. Texas Tech had identity with Leach, something they craved as they often are turned aside as the school desperately searching for a rival, relevance, and respect in a conference packed with power and tradition. Mike Leach created tradition at Texas Tech, something that Craig James, Kent Hance, Gerald Myers, the Board of Regents, and every west texan couldn't. A lie that spiraled out of control caused confrontational meetings with the administration and beloved coach. A lie that led to his termination, for freaking nothing.

What does it take to get fired from Texas Tech? Well, unfortunately, not very much.