Skip to content

Did Mike Leach get Swiftboated at Texas Tech?

Jan 8, 2010, 2:00 PM EDT

90 Comments

Did Mike Leach get Swiftboated? It appears that very well could be the case, as Sports by Brooks outlines today in a post linking ESPN football analyst Craig James and the Swiftboat Veterans for Truth, that funtime group of merry pranksters who waged a smear campaign against John Kerry during the 2004 Presidential election. Leach was fired as head coach of Texas Tech over allegations that he mistreated receiver Adam James, who is Craig James’ son.
Merrie Spaeth was the media consultant behind the Swiftboat Veterans, and heads Spaeth Communications, a Dallas-based PR firm. On Wednesday, James announced that he intended to run for the senate seat that would be vacated by Kay Bailey Hutchinson, and was assisted in releasing the news by Spaeth Communications. The plot thickens.


Yeah, remember that video of Adam James in the infamous Texas Tech shed? Seems that Spaeth Communications was behind that as well. But there’s more.
From Sports by Brooks:

Prominent Texas Tech alumni and media sources have told me the past week that Spaeth Communications allegedly played an integral role in the firing of Mike Leach. In addition to the video of Adam James that Spaeth circulated to the media, I’ve heard growing sentiment that Spaeth was behind much of the anonymously-sourced information about Adam James’ alleged plight reported by the media.

James has been considering a political career for some time now, well before what happened at Texas Tech. For that reason, I personally believe Craig James called in Spaeth after the Tech situation blew up, to help damage control his reputation and help preserve his viability as a political candidate. As a conservative, it’s also a natural for James to have Spaeth represent him as he ponders a political career.

Craig James is already an instant pariah with a large group of his potential constituency; just look at the billboards supporting Leach that are sprouting up around Lubbock. His supporters call themselves team Leach, and their ranks are growing. Note to James: That’s not an ideal petri dish to grow a political career.
***
Swiftboat PR Firm Repping James Against Leach [SportsbyBrooks]
Smear Boat Veterans For Bush [Salon]
Social networking group Team Leach announces pro-Leach rally [KCBD]

Skip to Comments (90)
More Off the Bench
Back to Homepage
  1. John (TT Class of 74) - Jan 9, 2010 at 11:52 AM

    Thanks for providing an unbiased report. You’ve just scratched the surface. Keep digging. There’s so many levels of deception that the Watergate investigation will look simple.

  2. Sooner4Tech - Jan 9, 2010 at 11:52 AM

    Great article! Do not stop here. Look into the windfarm that James and Hance co-own and the number of D1 scholarship offers that Adam received.

  3. Sweetmommy - Jan 9, 2010 at 11:54 AM

    Keep digging guys! You’re going in the right direction. Keep it up Team Leach!!!!

  4. Sweetmommy - Jan 9, 2010 at 11:56 AM

    Or just put you in a shed!! Lol

  5. Techsan4LEACH! - Jan 9, 2010 at 4:03 PM

    Finally a news station willing to bring forth the factual aspect of the news!
    TEAM LEACH!

  6. Diane - Jan 9, 2010 at 4:05 PM

    Thanks NBC! Finally some fair coverage on this story. ESPN certainly isn’t going to be fair about it.

  7. Lori - Jan 9, 2010 at 4:12 PM

    Great article! If Leach was mistreating a player, why didn’t the other coaches step in and stop it? Keep digging, Rick. The Alumni and students at Texas Tech, as well as coaches and parents nationwide, need answers.

  8. Sweet TTU EX - Jan 9, 2010 at 4:16 PM

    Good Article! Of course, Mike Leach got swift boated! The published emails are tell-all! Hope you’ll keep up the investigation. We ex students are embarrassed and humiliated!

  9. Sam Tomaino - Jan 9, 2010 at 4:19 PM

    FYI,
    Merrie Spaeth was a child actress. She was one of the two young girls in THE WORLD OF HENRY ORIENT. It’s actually a great little movie with Peter Sellers in the title role and Angela Lansbury playing one of the great bitch moms in movie history!

  10. Matt - Jan 9, 2010 at 4:21 PM

    Wow, great job NBC, it’s about time someone covered this story, without giving Craig James a platform to stand on and feed us his victim story. Keep up the good work and you will have more followers. GO TEAM LEACH!!!!!

  11. smokehouse - Jan 9, 2010 at 4:59 PM

    Chandler, your an ass. Of course you voted for Kerry and Obama. What does that tell me about your intelligence. Stuff it. How’ that Hope and change working for you?

  12. Techsan97 - Jan 9, 2010 at 5:28 PM

    There is definitely some serious dirt that need to be dug up in Lubbock. Investigate this one and I bet you uncover a barrel of snakes.

  13. bookid4114 - Jan 9, 2010 at 5:33 PM

    Thank you NBC for this story. I hope it is important enough for you to keep pursuing. It certainly is to TTU alumni and students.
    The fact that one of our most visible NFL players, Zach Thomas, has insisted he be removed from anything to do with the university, tells me that something is rotten in the administration.
    Thank you and please keep digging!!!

  14. Brant - Jan 9, 2010 at 7:55 PM

    Thank you NBC for stepping up and covering this controversy! Keep up the good work!

  15. Lee Atkins - Jan 9, 2010 at 7:56 PM

    Thanks for the ‘other’ side of the story .. way to go!! thanks for the honesty as well! sooo refreshing!

  16. Lee Atkins - Jan 9, 2010 at 7:58 PM

    Thanks for the ‘other’ side of the story .. way to go!! thanks for the honesty as well! sooo refreshing!

  17. don - Jan 9, 2010 at 8:41 PM

    First off I dont have a dog in this fight but something smells on this one. Good job on this hate hearing biased crap from espin .thanks NBC please stay on this .

  18. Ann Hill - Jan 10, 2010 at 9:33 AM

    Great article! I hope you stay on top of this one! It smells rotten!

  19. Mike Faulkner - Jan 10, 2010 at 10:00 AM

    Thanks for the article. Keep digging, there’s a goldmine of corruption in Lubbock, TX left to uncover.

  20. Austin - Jan 10, 2010 at 10:04 AM

    Great article, please stay on it. Definitely seems to be more here. If Leach was railroaded the truth needs to come out. Thanks!

  21. Ms. Tammy Long - Jan 10, 2010 at 10:05 AM

    I love it when a writer conducts his own independent ivestigation into the facts! I am in total awe! You are a dying breed Chandler! Not once did you tell “us” what we ought to think! Thanks for acknowleding that some of us still have a brain!

  22. Annie - Jan 10, 2010 at 10:06 AM

    Hello NBC; thanks for the interesting article. Please continue to investigate the handling of Mike Leach’s firing. If it smells like a rat, and looks like a rat, then it must be a rat. The TEAM LEACH fans have been working overtime to find some answers. They could use your help.

  23. sjh - Jan 10, 2010 at 10:07 AM

    Thank you, NBC, for covering this aspect of the story. The whole incident is such a convoluted mess, but you’d never know it by watching ABC and ESPN. Thank you for digging further!

  24. heather - Jan 10, 2010 at 10:09 AM

    thank you!! it all sounds fishy to me.. craig james will never get my vote if he runs for anything, besides dog catcher..well not even the, I LIKE dogs!!

  25. court - Jan 10, 2010 at 10:12 AM

    great article! thanks for the investigating!

1 2 3 4
Leave Comment

You must be logged in to leave a comment. Not a member? Register now!

More Off the Bench
Back to Homepage