Mike Graham of the DALLAS MORNING NEWS has the latest today on the playing status Adam James at Texas Tech. The 6-3, 216-pound son of ESPN broadcaster Craig James is being moved from receiver to tight end.

(Adam James: Ready to mix it up with the Sooners D-Line?)

Texas Tech football coach Tommy Tuberville addressed the tight end position after Monday’s spring practice.

“We don’t have any tight ends on the team,” Tuberville said. “Ryan [Haliburton] and Adam James are the two closest guys. But I think both of them have done a pretty good job. Both of them are physical. Adam can really catch the ball and give us a little addition there, but we’re going to need to have a two tight end offense next year.

“We’re probably going to need a freshman come in and play for us at a tight end position to give us three. We’ll have some tight end next year. But those two guys, with what they’re doing, and you know, they’re giving us a pretty good look and I think they’re going to be fine for next year.”

Tuberville said the offense will probably run 15 to 20 offensive plays per game with a tight end.

The prospect of James lining up against defensive ends who will not only go at least 50-75 pounds heavier but also are just as agile has to have Mike Leach snickering into his sixth margarita of the day.

As for Craig, we now know that he once told former Tech receivers coach Lincoln Riley via voicemail that Adam was the best receiver on the team. With Adam’s move to offensive line, wonder if Tuberville’s voicemail is burning up too? Read more…

Betsy Blaney of the ASSOCIATED PRESS has details on a memo that Texas Tech university President Guy Bailey sent to Tech Chancellor Kent Hance three days before Mike Leach’s firing that recommended the “James case be closed” and Leach keep his job.

Testimony from Hance and the attorney also confirmed that university President Guy Bailey penned a memo Dec. 27 to Hance recommending that Leach “be issued a letter of reprimand” and that the James case be closed.

So why was Leach fired? Read more…

On Jan. 10 I reported that Craig James hired Dallas-based public relations firm Spaeth Communications before he went public to complain about Texas Tech football coach Mike Leach’s treatment of his son Adam.

That followed a Jan. 8 piece I wrote about the James-hired p.r. firm, which was the architect of the “Swiftboat” public relations campaign launched against 2004 presidential candidate John Kerry.

Melinda Alvarado of FOX 34 in Lubbock and Katie Bauer of NBC’s KCBD-TV in Lubbock report Craig James testified under oath on Saturday about Spaeth’s role in, based on James’ comments in his deposition, what appears to be a concerted public relations campaign designed to discredit Leach.

Read more…

The evidence continues to mount that Texas Tech school administrators, faced with a wrongful termination lawsuit from former football coach Mike Leach, are in the process of intimating that ESPN’s Craig James played a major role in the dismissal of the school’s most successful coach of all-time.

Saturday Matthew McGowan of the LUBBOCK AVALANCHE-JOURNAL reports that yesterday Leach attorney Paul Dobrowski told a “room full of reporters” that Texas Tech Chancellor Kent Hance stated under oath in his Thursday deposition that James, an ESPN national college football analyst, “personally wanted Leach fired.”

Hance’s statement about James comes after Texas Tech attorneys, in a written request to the Texas Attorney General on Jan. 26 to keep public school documents about the firing secret, reported, “Craig James threatened on Dec. 20 to sue the university if it did not investigate the actions of then-head football coach Mike Leach.”

I wrote at the time of that revelation:

Tech attorneys are trying to keep all records sealed within the university as it pertains to the Leach investigation, but in the process of trying to keep those secrets, university lawyers tipped off just how much influence Craig James was trying to exert over the Texas Tech football program - and Leach himself.

The reason Tech lawyers released the statement about James’ threatened lawsuit was an attempt to prove to the state’s attorney general that the school had no choice but to go forward with its subsequent actions against Leach. And that behind-the-scenes details of those actions needed to be sealed forever.

Sounds a lot like Tech school officials are doing what they can to place the blame for the Leach investigation and subsequent dismissal of the coach on James. That would perhaps take the heat off themselves for what was an extremely unpopular decision with fans and, more importantly, donors. (Donations to the school have reportedly plummeted since Leach was fired, causing cuts in Tech academic programs.)

Though from Craig James’ perspective, the worst may be yet to come. Read more…

ESPN.com reported today:

Former Texas Tech football coach Mike Leach and the school are headed to mediation Friday in Lubbock, Texas, sources with knowledge of the situation told ESPN.com on Tuesday.

(ESPN’s James should just cut a check w/ Tech to Leach now)

On Jan. 21, State District Judge William Sowder ordered Leach, Texas Tech and their attorneys to complete mediation by Feb. 5. Lubbock attorney Frank E. “Dirk” Murchison III, a graduate of the Texas Tech School of Law, will try to mediate a resolution between the sides, according to the sources.

The source said neither side wants the case to go to trial and said the dispute might be resolved in mediation at a later date.

Interesting news from ESPN, if only it were true.

The LUBBOCK AVALANCHE-JOURNAL reports that Leach has absolutely no intention of settling with the school.

Read more…

An open request record filed by the LUBBOCK AVALANCHE-JOURNAL unearthed a bombshell involving Craig James and Texas Tech attorneys.

(Tech lawyers blaming investigation on James to keep Leach records seal)

A-J reporter Matthew McGowan notes this week that as part of an appeal to thwart the newspaper’s request for records involving the Leach investigation, Tech attorneys stated, “Craig James threatened on Dec. 20 to sue the university if it did not investigate the actions of then-head football coach Mike Leach.”

More of the plea from Tech to the Texas Attorney General: “The threat did not appear to be an idle threat as the parent expressed genuine concern for the health and well-being of his injured child, as well as other student-athletes.”

Tech attorneys are trying to keep all records sealed within the university as it pertains to the Leach investigation, but in the process of trying to keep those secrets, university lawyers tipped off just how much influence Craig James was trying to exert over the Texas Tech football program - and Leach himself.

Read more…

More details of Mike Leach’s lawsuit against Texas Tech were released earlier this week, including allegations that ESPN announcer Craig James twice called Texas Tech position coaches in an attempt to influence how the staff was handling his son, team inside receiver Adam James.

(Do Leach’s lawyers have actual voicemail recordings from James?)

Leach’s lawsuit maintains that Craig James called Tech Director of Football Operations Tommy McVay in September, “to tell him, in effect, that you coaches are crazy and you’re screwing my kid.”

Leach’s lawsuit also alleges that James called then-Tech assistant coach Lincoln Riley the same day about his son, “stating, in effect, ‘You don’t know what you’re doing. Adam James is the best player at the wide receiver position. If you’ve got the balls to call me back, and I don’t think you do, call me back.’”

I’m not going to speculate what impact those alleged phone calls could have on the Leach lawsuit against Texas Tech. But if Leach’s lawyers can materially prove that James indeed did say those things in phone calls to Texas Tech football coaches, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to think that ESPN executives would be concerned about James broadcasting games for the network in the future.

Read more…

KCBD-TV in Lubbock reports today:

NewsChannel 11 continues to dig deeper for answers into the firing of Texas Tech football coach Mike Leach.

As reported first at KCBD.com last Thursday, three Regents accused Leach of being “profane and defiant”. NewsChannel 11 has looked into this allegation of profanity and Chancellor Kent Hance would not specifically confirm or deny the quote that NewsChannel 11 heard. Instead, Hance says, “I’d rather not get into that but it was a pretty good cussin’ I received from an employee I was trying to help.”

Mike Leach and his attorney Ted Liggett categorically deny that Leach ever cussed to the Chancellor. Liggett also says Leach never used profanity when dealing with the Texas Tech administration. Liggett goes on to say the Chancellor’s refusal to confirm specific cuss words on the record is proof that it never took place.

Sunday Hance wasn’t so coy, plainly stating that Leach directed “profanely defiant” words at him. Hance describing a meeting with Leach after the coach was called on the carpet for allegedly mistreating Adam James.

Read more…

Last Friday I reported the same firm that oversaw the p.r. campaign of the Swift Boat veterans against John Kerry in 2004 was also advising Craig James in his public complaint to the Texas Tech administration about the disciplinary methods of Red Raiders football coach Mike Leach.

 (In hiring Swift Boat pr firm, ESPN’s James gave clue of fear over backlash)

Today I talked to the Founder of Spaeth Communications Merrie Spaeth about the company’s specific role with the James family.

Spaeth told me that she was initially contacted by Craig James before he went public with his complaints about Leach after a third party recommended the firm to the ESPN announcer.

“I’m pretty sure his first call was on Dec. 19. He reached out to us,” Spaeth said.

Spaeth said that James wanted her company to, “help (James family) with the first burst of attention.”

“Our first role with them was to think through what to say publicly. We advised him on the drafting of the family’s first statement that was distributed to reporters,” Spaeth said.

Spaeth also provided previously unreported details about the Adam James cellphone video. She said that James actually shot two videos during his separate confiments at Texas Tech practices and, “showed them to his parents.” Those videos were part of the impetus for Craig James taking the complaint against Leach public. Immediately after the second video was shot, Craig James contacted Spaeth to advise him.

Spaeth said the public release of the Adam James cellphone video was based on prior statements by Leach: “We came to a consensus that the video should be released to the public after Leach said some things that were at odds with adam’s story.”

She did not say who had the initial idea to release the video to the media, only that it was a consensus-driven decision by her and the James family.

About the second video uploaded to Youtube and distributed to media outlets that showed Leach shouting at Adam James during a Tech practice, Spaeth said, “I have not seen it and don’t know about it.”

Spaeth also clarified her role with James in the wake of his recent public announcement that he’s considering running for U.S. Senate.

Read more…

Here’s some unfortunate photos of Adam James, the Texas Tech football player who helped get Mike Leach fired:

I’m sorry too.

Read more…