lolpolpop

[NAHSTE]

Today the worldwide leader suspended Feldman, only their most credible and respected college football reporter, because he dared write a book about the Mike Leach/Adam and Craig James situation.

This is an outrage. ESPN can get fucked with AIDS. Real talk.

http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/2011/7/14/2276428/bruce-feldman-suspended-espn-mike-leach-book/origin

Senior writer at ESPN the Magazine Bruce Feldman has been suspended indefinitely by the Worldwide Leader in yet another display of muscle-flexing from the head honchos in Bristol. Via Sports By Brooks:

(ESPN Vice President and Director of News Vince) Doria, (ESPN the Magazine Editor-in-Chief Gary) Hoenig and (ESPN.com Editor-in-Chief Pat) Stiegman informed Feldman today that he has been banned from writing for any ESPN entity, is forbidden from appearing on any ESPN platform, is not allowed to Tweet from his Twitter account nor participate in any promotion of a recently-released book in which Feldman played a role ...

... Multiple management and editorial sources at ESPN have told me in recent months that Feldman would only participate in the Leach book project upon direct approval from ESPN management - which Feldman indeed received.

[NAHSTE]

I literally have no other reason to have ESPN Insider.

I only read Keith Law and Bruce Feldman, but they alone are worth the 20 bucks a year.

[Bear Pand]

How does Craig James have so much pull at ESPN anyway?

[Senser81]

How does Craig James have so much pull at ESPN anyway?

Yeah, he isn't even the last white guy to rush for 1000 yards in the NFL anymore.

Its kind of odd who ESPN chooses to "make a star" and who they ignore. They do this with their writers, reporters, Sportscenter announcers, etc.

Feldman was clearly their best college football writer, yet he always took a backseat to Ivan Maisel, who is terrible. His book on college football was one of the worst sports books I've ever read, along with Sal Paolantonio's book on the NFL. Its honestly like Maisel and Paolantonio have regular jobs outside of ESPN, and their ESPN positions are just a way to make money by writing throwaway trash.

[Herm]

Im interested to read his book. If what he is claiming is true im torn on what Mike Leach should do. He has a law degree so hes looking it differently than most of us. He's already suing Texas Tech. He seems toxic from that so why not sue ESPN and go down in a blaze of glory?


Craig James should be the one fired in this situation.

[Senser81]

Im interested to read his book. If what he is claiming is true im torn on what Mike Leach should do. He has a law degree so hes looking it differently than most of us. He's already suing Texas Tech. He seems toxic from that so why not sue ESPN and go down in a blaze of glory?


Craig James should be the one fired in this situation.

I don't blame Craig James. Its ESPN's ultimate responsibility for what they go ahead with and report as fact. I think even at the time, people could see that there was two sides to the Leach-Adam James thing, yet ESPN reported only the Adam James side of the story. It was terrible reporting by ESPN, and it contributed to Texas Tech's most successful coach in recent history losing his job.

[Herm]

I don't blame Craig James. Its ESPN's ultimate responsibility for what they go ahead with and report as fact. I think even at the time, people could see that there was two sides to the Leach-Adam James thing, yet ESPN reported only the Adam James side of the story. It was terrible reporting by ESPN, and it contributed to Texas Tech's most successful coach in recent history losing his job.

Im interested in why does Mike Leach rub people the wrong way so much? Is he just the biggest douchebag ever to be around? According to Feldman who received the emails between TTU and boosters they were conspiring to fire him the day they gave him a contract extension.

He had the highest graduation rate in college football right before he was fired. He took TTU to heights they had never imagined and still the higher ups at the school hated him, what gives?

[Rayman]

How does Craig James have so much pull at ESPN anyway?

Doesn't matter who it is. ESPN loves their ex-jocks. As long as they don't do anything to "embarrass" the company, they're golden.

[Senser81]

Im interested in why does Mike Leach rub people the wrong way so much? Is he just the biggest douchebag ever to be around?

Quick story I was told by someone who attended a Mike Leach coaching clinic:


(Leach draws dot on chalkboard)
Leach: Here is what everyone in this room knows about football.
(Leach draws large circle around dot on chalkboard)
Leach: Here is what I know about football.

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

I only read Keith Law and Bruce Feldman, but they alone are worth the 20 bucks a year.

Post or PM me Keith Law's updated Prospect Rankings that came out yesterday, pretty please.

[FirstTimer]

Quick story I was told by someone who attended a Mike Leach coaching clinic:


(Leach draws dot on chalkboard)
Leach: Here is what everyone in this room knows about football.
(Leach draws large circle around dot on chalkboard)
Leach: Here is what I know about football.

So he's a southern version of Charlie Weis?

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

Quick story I was told by someone who attended a Mike Leach coaching clinic:


(Leach draws dot on chalkboard)
Leach: Here is what everyone in this room knows about football.
(Leach draws large circle around dot on chalkboard)
Leach: Here is what I know about football.

His interview with the Miami Hurricane board was told to me to be as bad as you could possibly think (no, not the stories that he came in drunk or dressed like he and Jimmy Johnson just finished a bender down on the keys), but he comes off in a way that's very "fuck you, I'm great, hire me and I'll put asses in seats, win championships, and graduate kids at the highest"...that's a great sales pitch, but you need to be more tactful and Mike Leach lacks tact or the ability to play well with others when politics come in to play. He's a lawyer with a big time ego and capacity to learn...

I'd hire him sight unseen...the guy could sell me sand in a desert...but, to someone on a board of trustees to an athletic department...probably a bit putting off. So much so, that Kirby Hocutt was told he couldn't even interview him again when he was just begging for an interview for the Miami gig the second time around (this is AFTER Miami fired Shannon and the next day had a FedEx'd package arrive on Donna Shalala's desk from Donald fuckin Trump with a newspaper that basically told her "I told you so" re: Mike Leach/Randy Shannon).

I think Mike Leach is Dennis Erickson's offense on steroids with Jimmy Johnson's fuck-off attitude. Would have been a great coach at Miami. But, what I've basically said in three awful paragraphs is...he's awesome, but a giant fucking douchebag.

[BrntO4Life]

Leach believes very strongly in himself and it comes off as extremely arrogant.

I think the real issue though is Leach's absolute distaste for bullshit. He always tells it exactly like it is and big-time college athletics is rife with bullshit, politics, and people with jobs they shouldn't have. I know for a fact that it's that way at Texas.

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

On topic...

ESPN is looking like some real asshats with the suspending of Feldman. Poor form. However, the book supposedly just rips ESPN to no end with back up documentation and sources showing they just withheld and refused to cover both sides of the story to the point where they committed slander against Leach.

Leach is a Grade A doucheBag, especially to work with/around, I'm sure. However, this whole situation sounds like an attempt by the school to give the douchebag his comeuppance, and really went out of their way to do it in as hateful a way as possible...ESPN, for some reason (negligence, purposeful?) decided to run this story into the ground like it was to be Mike Leach's grave.

This is my question...what is "Leach's own doing"...he's obviously a very brash guy with a low tolerance for stupid and bullsh!t. He's not the type to play well with others, especially on a corporate level...if that's "his own doing"...I guess that's it, but this seems much bigger than just giving the douchebag his comeuppance...they reallllllly went out of their way to completely defame the man.

[BrntO4Life]

This is my question...what is "Leach's own doing"...he's obviously a very brash guy with a low tolerance for stupid and bullsh!t. He's not the type to play well with others, especially on a corporate level...if that's "his own doing"...I guess that's it, but this seems much bigger than just giving the douchebag his comeuppance...they reallllllly went out of their way to completely defame the man.

And this is exactly why Leach's lawsuit hasn't been thrown out. He has legitimate claims and could very well end up winning a lawsuit that could cost ESPN a fortune. All in the name of protecting one of their worst commentators, to boot...