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The stories behind the Pirate (Mike Leach) story
Published: 12/29/2009 6:59 AM
Last Modified: 12/29/2009 9:10 AM

Injuries and suspensions aren't funny, but this is too easy of a target: Is anyone surprised that a Pirate enthusiast (Mike Leach) would exile a player to Davy Jones' locker?
Leach, Texas Tech's suspended football coach, is alleged to have instructed one of his first mates to put injured player Adam James in an isolated, dark place.
Leach is a smart guy (he has a law degree), so he should have been savvy enough to know it isn't going to stay a secret when you subject the son of an ESPN employee (Craig James) to solitary confinement.
The story behind the story is that coaches have been intentionally treating injured players like war prisoners since forever.
X-rays, MRIs and cat scans aside, coaches and trainers have no way of knowing if players pretend to be hurt just to avoid practice.
Because of that, coaches often make not practicing more grueling than practicing. If injured players can't run, they do push-ups. If players have an injured arm or shoulder, they run or ride a stationary bike for the duration of practice. This magically accelerates the healing process.
But where do you draw the line? It's somewhere before putting a guy in a dark room by himself, unless he is a photographer and film (who uses that anymore?) needs developing.
Another story behind the story is that some college football coaches, whether they intend to or not, become the supreme rulers of their little kingdoms. They sucker themselves into believing that they have to answer to no one and, therefore, can act any way they want. Oops.
May every coach be blessed with someone on his staff who isn't a "yes man." We all need someone to tell us when we are wrong, even rulers of football kingdoms.
Leach is a colorful guy who makes college football a more interesting place. I hope he doesn't walk the plank and I hope he emerges from the suspension smarter than he was before.




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Tulsa World sports writer Jimmie Tramel is a former class president at Locust Grove High School. He graduated magna cum laude from Northeastern State University with a journalism degree and, while attending college, was sports editor of the Pryor Daily Times. He joined the Tulsa World on Oct. 17, 1989, the same day an earthquake struck the World Series. He is the OSU basketball beat writer and a columnist and feature writer during football season. In 2007, he wrote a book about Oklahoma State football with former Cowboy coach Pat Jones.

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