Mike Leach still does not have fond feelings for Craig James, nor should he.
James, the former SMU star, led a very public smear campaign against Leach that resulted in the coach’s firing from Texas Tech in 2009. James felt his son, Adam, who was a wide receiver on the team, was mistreated by Leach after suffering a concussion in mid-December. The firing led to lawsuits filed by both sides that took years to resolve.
Leach went on to coach at Washington State beginning in 2012 and has been very successful, while James fell off the sports broadcasting map and had an unsuccessful run for senate in Texas.
What does Leach think about where James has ended up?
“You create your own karma. It looks like he might have created his. I think he’s a dishonest person and the sport is better off without him. And that’s pretty clear-cut,” Leach told Yahoo’s Pete Thamel for a piece on James.
Leach is not wrong. He has shown he is still an important figure in college football, one who can do wonders at difficult programs. James took an ill-advised foray into politics and is barely heard from these days. Both men are in spots where they should be.
