Congratulations go out to the decision makers at Texas Tech, who have single-handedly solved perhaps the most vexing legal issue of this or any other time.
How to convict someone without a shred of physical evidence, merely on hearsay.
Let us also thank Texas Tech for being just the next in what already is and will become an even greater line of college football programs subscribing to the "Nanny State" way of teaching self responsibility and dealing with problems without tossing cash at lawyers.
No offense to lawyers. You're just doing a job.
Just like the public jobbing Texas Tech has handed now former head Coach Mike Leach.
Let's set a few ground rules here up front. I wasn't there when this alleged incident occurred involving receiver Adam James. Neither were you. Neither was anyone from the TT Athletics Administration. And certainly not Craig James, the announcer/Father of the alleged victim. None of us, including more than a few of those who have been and will be named as "sources", were actually and physically there when this allegedly happened.
Notice the liberal use of the word "alleged"?
Defined as "declared but not proved". The sister word "allegation" defined as "asserted but not proved".
In other words, not nearly enough proof to fire someone.
Not yet.
What Texas Tech has is, in essence, the flimsiest of evidence. The alleged victim, Adam James, who had suffered a concussion the day before the incident, claims he was shoved and confined in a "small, dark place" while the team practiced, ostensibly as some form of punishment. An unnamed source has told anyone who will listen that James was moved to "the darkest place", charged with cleaning out equipment. Another source stating that if James came out of the room, he would be kicked off the team.
As one might expect, Leach attorney Ted Liggett has what seems to be logical answers to every allegation. It's his job.
The room was "cooler and darker" than the outdoor practice field, which would make some sense for one who suffered a bruising of the brain. James was provided ice and kept in the room for one to two hours. Why he was kept in that room for such an extended period of time is certainly a question that demands an answer.
But for anyone who has ever played a team sport, certainly big time college football, would it really raise an eyebrow if a Head Coach took such action to inflict a non-potentially injurious punishment for some other infraction? That in many cases, as long as the player is not seriously injured and assigned to hospital or rehab, coaches in any sport don't just let injured players skip practice, but often have them attend to keep a team together. Granted, we are merely speculating for the moment. Certainly not making any charges or coming to any conclusion.
There was also a time, again according to Leach's attorney, that James was placed in an air-conditioned pressroom with a stationary bike.
Two days after the allegations came to light, and as Leach had just begun to fight a suspension that would keep him from coaching his team Saturday in the Alamo Bowl, school lawyers handed him his immediate walking papers. Conveniently performed minutes before the two sides were prepared to meet in a Lubbock, Texas courtroom for the latest hearing.
Texas Tech obviously believes they have every right to fire Leach. And they most certainly do, as any company has when it comes to dealing with an employee under contract. One that is always filled with plenty of loopholes and reasons for dismissal.
However, consider what we have witnessed.
First, Leach was suspended. He then threatens to litigate for his right to remain coach. The school obviously felt they had enough evidence to suspend and not to terminate, for if they did, why not just fire him from the first hint of trouble? But they wait until moments before Leach takes his permitted legal step to fight the suspension, to fire him.
And they did it one day before Leach became eligible for an $800,000 contracted bonus.
Leach has no publicly released history of player abuse. Not a single player we know of has complained about his coaching techniques. And you better believe in this day and age of sources and leaks, we would have heard something.
The school, however, acts with blinding speed when the alleged victim is the son of a prominent network television college football analyst.
And do we know anything of Adam James and his history with Leach?
If Leach is guilty of some flagrant abuse of rules, inflicting severe and unnecessary punishment on a player, lying or covering up such transgressions, and the evidence is crystal clear, then he should be fired. With impunity.
The key is evidence and not hearsay.
Plenty of one and very little of the other.
There's even viable talk of this being little more than revenge by Texas Tech, embarrassed by Leach's contract negotiations earlier this year.
And one network report claims to have evidence casting doubt on Adam James' allegations.
Which means Mike Leach must be allowed to coach the Alamo Bowl.
Texas Tech must be forced to provide more evidence than mere words, allegations, and an angry parent.
And those lawyer clocks continue to run.