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From time to time, I'm going to post here random thoughts I have about current events. I'll focus on my three main passions...cigars, politics, and sports.

One thing that has been bothering me lately is the situation at Texas Tech University. For those who don't know, they recently fired their head coach, Mike Leach, amid allegations that he mistreated a player suffering from the after effects of a concussion. The drama level was greater due to the fact that the player, Adam James, is the son of former New England Patriots running back, and current ESPN analyst Craig James.

First off, Mike Leach and Texas Tech have had a rocky relationship in the past year or so. He led them to an 11-2 season last year, but they had a difference of opinion on how much he was worth. They had a very public, and unprofessional, stand off during contract negotiations over the summer.

First off, even the mere mention of mistreating a player with a concussion should cause alarm. As we've seen in the past, concussions, combined with a football player's natural desire to play when injured, can lead to devastating consequences.

Secondly, after hearing and reading interviews with Texas Tech players, it seems none of them were too fond of their former coach.

Said Senor offensive lineman Brandon Carter, "I don't want to say anything bad about the fans, but this is not the first situation that something like this has happened. This is just the first time someone stepped forward. I don't want fans thinking that Adam James did this because he was upset but it was just kind of the last straw, and sooner or later something was going to come out. This is the first situation that someone spoke up about."

Since Texas Tech fired Leach with cause, they do not own him the remaining money on the 5 year, $12.7 Million dollar contract he signed last off season.

One thing is for sure, this will end up in a long, drawn out legal battle that will be bad for Adam James, Mike Leach, Texas Tech, and college football.

I haven't been able to find one current Texas Tech player who has gone on the record supporting Mike Leach since he was suspended and subsequently fired. Here are a few quotes from his current players:

"I have no complaints about this decision. [Leach] put Adam [James] in a shed like an animal. Like an animal in a cage. That was bull," defensive lineman Chris Perry said. "You call other players. I think it was a good decision. We have our pep back now. We practice hard this week. We had less stress this week. You know why? Because he's gone."

"I do agree and I'm supporting Adam and what he's doing because it's the right thing to do," said wide receiver Tramain Swindall.

Said cornerback Taylor Charbonnet: "The players make this team, not one coach. As Adam's friend, I didn't like it at all what [Leach] did. He was my brother and I didn't agree with it. I don't know why [Leach] did that. But I know we are fully behind [interim] coach Ruffin [McNeill]. We love him and support him."

A lot of Leach's former players, including Wes Welker, have come out in support of Leach, which leads me to believe that something happened to Mike Leach, either during last year's contract negotiations or right after.

His behavior is unacceptable, and to me, it's clear he was trying to make an example out of Adam Jones, and that alone could have lead to a serious injury, or even worse, by a subsequent player.

The sooner this situation is taken care of, the sooner Texas Tech can move on, and with that, college football can move on, hopefully to a national playoff system...but that's a story for another blog post!