Most Viewed Stories
College Football Capsules: Leach returns to West Texas for book signing
LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach says his book is more about his career than his firing because he started writing it before he was dismissed amid accusations he mistreated a player with a concussion.
Leach said Tuesday before a book signing in Lubbock that it would have been "irresponsible" not to detail his 2009 firing from Texas Tech.
"Everyone wanted my point of view on what happened at Tech," said Leach, who wrote "Swing Your Sword," the title a nod to his penchant for pirate lore and its application to football.
Most of the book chronicles Leach's life, from his upbringing and why he chose coaching over practicing law to how his coaching style developed. He takes readers to each college at which he coached, arriving at Texas Tech on page 107.
It's another 70 pages, the book's last two chapters, before Leach begins discussing his firing and criticizes the university.
The university fired Leach amid claims that he mistreated receiver Adam James, son of Craig James, an ESPN analyst. Leach has long denied that, and said he believes an $800,000 bonus he was due was the reason he was fired.
Leach sued the school for wrongful termination but a Texas appeals court allowed his trial to go forward for only non-monetary damages. He has filed a separate libel suit accusing ESPN and a Dallas public relations firm, Spaeth Communications, Inc., of slander.
ESPN spokesman Mike Soltys in an email said Leach's suit is "without merit" and the company will defend against it "vigorously."
Leach claimed Tuesday that Craig James hired Spaeth as long as two weeks before he was fired Dec. 30, 2009. In the book he claims that emails "suggest" Spaeth was used by the university to "smear" Leach's name.
Scott McLaughlin, the attorney representing Craig James and Spaeth, said in an email response that Spaeth was hired to counter Leach's claims.
"Merrie Spaeth is a respected communications professional who was retained by Craig James and his counsel to provide advice about the untrue and inflammatory allegations about him and Adam that were being attributed to Mike Leach," McLaughlin's email states.
Several hundred of the former coach's fans stood outside the Barnes & Noble in Lubbock in triple-digit heat to wait for Leach to sign their books. Some wore pirate masks, while others donned T-shirts that read "Team Leach" or "Swing your Sword. One former player, linebacker Brian Duncan stopped by to say hello.
Regardless of how Leach came to leave Lubbock, "he's my coach," Duncan said. "He gave me an opportunity to play, to start. He was a great guy to me."
One woman told Leach as he signed her book that she had never loved football until he came to West Texas. Others wished him luck or told him they missed him.
A 2005 Texas Tech graduate told Leach he'd made his class ring mean something.
"Wherever I go everyone knows Texas Tech," said Miles Blankenship, who drove 120 miles from Amarillo to get his book autographed. "He definitely put us on the nationwide map."
Leach in his book compares how the school treated him to how it dealt with Bob Knight after several incidents while he coached the Texas Tech basketball team. He points to Knight's dustup with the then-chancellor of Tech at a grocery store salad bar, Knight spewing a tirade of expletives on television and Knight intentionally leaving two players in Austin after a Red Raiders loss.
Leach writes that Knight didn't get suspended or reprimanded.
Texas Tech spokesman Dicky Grigg said Leach's argument misses the point.
"His involved a student athlete that had a concussion," Grigg said of Leach's situation. "What mattered is he punished and humiliated a student athlete who had a concussion. What kind of message is that going to send other players on the team?"
Leach, who has lived in Key West, Fla., since shortly after his firing and was passed up for the job Maryland early this year, is awaiting word on whether the Texas Supreme Court will review the appellate court's ruling. If the high court reverses the appeals court and rules that Texas Tech waived sovereign immunity protection by its conduct, Leach's suit could go forward for monetary damages.
Leach said he believes what readers will remember best will be about his coaching, not his departure from West Texas.
NCAA gives LSU one-year probation for violations
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — LSU committed major violations while recruiting a junior college football player, but won't be slapped with any postseason bans or future scholarship reductions, the NCAA ruled Tuesday. The governing body decided to place the school on probation for a year and cited a former assistant coach for unethical conduct.
The investigation found that ex-assistant coach D.J. McCarthy improperly arranged for transportation and housing for former defensive lineman Akiem Hicks in 2009, then later tried to cover up those actions.
The NCAA accepted LSU's self-imposed reduction of two scholarships during the 2010-11 academic year, as well as a 10 percent reduction in official visits and reductions in recruiting calls. LSU already had begun reducing official visits during 2010-11, but the NCAA expanded the punishment to include 2011-12.
McCarthy resigned in December 2009. Hicks never played for the Tigers before he left LSU.
NCAA Committee on Infractions chairman Dennis Thomas said LSU's violations all were considered "major." Yet he stressed that punishment could have been more severe if not for the efforts of LSU's compliance department to discover and report the violations, and to cooperate with subsequent NCAA inquiries.
"The committee really felt that the LSU compliance staff and institution did an excellent job, and that they assisted the (NCAA) enforcement staff in the investigation regarding these violations," Thomas said.
He pointed specifically to Senior Associate Athletic Director Miriam Segar, who became suspicious of Hicks' living arrangements from the time he arrived in Baton Rouge. According to an earlier LSU report on the matter, Segar spent weeks pressing for answers and made the decision to bar Hicks from traveling to LSU's 2009 season-opening game at Washington because she was unsatisfied with the information she had received.
"That was critical," said Thomas, who is also the commissioner of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. "If that had not been done, the institution could have really been under more severe and serious penalties as well."
The violations reported in the case also included more than 3,600 phone calls that three noncoaching staff members either made to or received from high school coaches and administrators, prospects and family members of prospective students.
LSU has said most of those calls concerned clerical matters, were not football related and resulted from a misinterpretation of NCAA rules. Still, LSU also reported those violations after seeking clarification on the NCAA's interpretation of the rules regarding permissible phone calls.
LSU chancellor Michael Martin said the university does not plan to appeal.
In effect, LSU already has served its punishment regarding scholarships, having limited itself to 83 total scholarships during the 2010-11 academic year. That means the Tigers will be playing with the maximum 85 allowed scholarships in the 2011 season.
LSU has a lot of key players returning and is a popular pick to contend for Southeastern Conference and national titles this season.
"A situation that could have been much worse was made better by the dedicated work of the LSU athletics compliance staff and I am pleased that the NCAA recognized LSU's effort to cooperate and be proactive," Martin said. "The compliance staff ... made an exemplary showing of how a university should react when mistakes are made."
The NCAA's report details violations that included McCarthy's use of a cell phone that was not registered with LSU's athletic department. He did not log those calls, which caused other coaches to inadvertently break the rules by making further calls that put LSU over the NCAA's one-call-per-week limit. McCarthy also held a conference call with Hicks and another female student who worked in the athletic department, during which the three agreed to provide false information about Hicks' living arrangements for the summer of 2009 to LSU compliance staff.
Hicks met the female student during his official visit to LSU and kept in touch with her. Because she worked for the athletic department, their phone calls to one another amounted to violations relating to excessive calls to a recruit, the report said. Hicks also stayed with her, free of charge, during an unofficial visit, and later moved into the vacant Baton Rouge apartment of a former LSU player in an arrangement made by McCarthy, according to the report.
To comply with the NCAA's ruling, LSU will have to issue a report next year on measures it has taken to avoid a recurrence of the infractions revealed by the probe. LSU also will have to inform prospective recruits that it is on probation and explain why.
Meanwhile, the NCAA also placed restrictions on McCarthy's ability to work for any NCAA football program he works for in the near future.
He must avoid phone contact with recruits, their relatives or legal guardians for a year and enroll in an NCAA rules seminar as well as ethics training.
After McCarthy left LSU, he was hired by the WRA Receiver Academy, which conducts instructional camps. According to the academy's website on Tuesday, McCarthy was still part of the staff. A phone message left with the organization was not returned.
McCarthy played receiver in college for Washington in the early 1990s. Before arriving at LSU as a receivers coach in 2007, he was an assistant at UCLA, Central Florida and Nevada. He also coached defensive backs for the Oakland Raiders from 1998-2000.
-- Brett Martel
Slive: NCAA change is in the air
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Southeastern Conference Commissioner Mike Slive is well aware of the recent criticism of the NCAA — complaints about prolonged investigations and rulings that leave coaches and administrators scratching their heads.
He thinks change is coming.
"I have a sense that there are several of us that feel like change is important and addressing these issues from a national perspective is important," Slive told The Associated Press. "And I fully expect that we will do that, and I fully expect that the SEC will make every effort to contribute to that discussion and hopefully the appropriate action following those discussions."
The influential commissioner of a league that has won the past five national titles in football is more diplomat than maverick, but he also acknowledges there's a "growing perception that things aren't exactly as they ought to be in some ways."
Slive wants to see quicker turnarounds for NCAA investigations, something that has been an issue in his own league, and supports beefing up the annual value of scholarships. He stops short of supporting paying players.
Slive addressed those issues and everything from a television contract that is the second-largest among college conferences to lingering questions about expansion in an interview ahead of SEC media days Wednesday through Friday.
The issue of lengthy investigations bubbled up at SEC meetings in June, when Tennessee coach Derek Dooley and Auburn's Gene Chizik reportedly peppered NCAA vice president of enforcement Julie Roe Lach with questions about the conclusion of investigations at their respective schools. (Slive declined to address specific cases, including the Cam Newton pay-for-play saga involving Mississippi State and Auburn).
Tennessee is awaiting a ruling following a 22-month investigation into the football and men's basketball programs. The NCAA's investigation into Auburn's recruitment of the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Newton apparently continues, though the university hasn't received an official letter of inquiry.
Investigations also are ongoing at Ohio State, North Carolina and Oregon — Auburn's opponent in the BCS championship game in January.
Slive said he's optimistic that "positive changes" will be made in enforcement and other areas under NCAA President Mark Emmert. The NCAA already made changes in late June aimed at allowing enforcement staff to more easily put more people on an investigation when appropriate.
"I think what everyone wants — and this wouldn't necessarily be restricted to coaches — is that when issues arise, that they be handled in a timely way," Slive said. "And that's not always easy when you're dealing with a process that doesn't have subpoena power and power to compel answers to interrogatories. My sense is that what Julie and Dr. Emmert are trying to do is find a way without those resources to reconfigure their staff and how they do things to try to address the question of timeliness."
As for paying athletes, Slive doesn't support essentially putting them on a university payroll, but thinks they should get the full cost of an education. The Big Ten has floated that idea, and NCAA President Mark Emmert and commissioners of the other five BCS conferences have said it merits study.
"Each institution through its financial aid office has a number that is the full cost at their campus," Slive said. "I'm hoping and fully expect that that national discussion will take place and I for one hope that it will be adopted."
Other issues facing Slive and the SEC include.
— The SEC's groundbreaking 15-year, $2.25 billion TV deal with ESPN — not to mention a $55 million-a-year pact with CBS — signed in 2008 has been overtaken. The Pac-12's new 12-year deal with Fox and ESPN is worth about $3 billion, which might prompt a renegotiation for the SEC.
"Obviously when we did our deal we set the pace, and in our contract we have a concept called look-ins," Slive said. "At periodic points during the life of the contract, we can sit down with ESPN and take a look-in and look at the status of television, technology, all aspects of television, and at that point make adjustments that the parties agree are appropriate to make sure that everything that we intended to achieve with the contracts would in fact be available to us."
—The talk of expansion has died down since last summer, when Oklahoma President David Boren said the SEC offered his school and Texas A&M spots in the league. Slive doesn't dismiss the possibility of future expansion but said nothing is in the works.
"As we speak right now, there isn't really anything going on," he said. Then he repeated, "As we speak."
He had previously said the SEC wouldn't make such a move unless there was a "significant shift in the conference paradigm"? Nebraska joined the former Big Ten, while Colorado and Utah moved to the Pac-12.
"I don't think (that) constituted a paradigm shift as I was defining them in my mind when I said it," Slive said. "Obviously I think both of those leagues have helped themselves by what they've done. We will be always thinking about what is it that the SEC can or should do to make itself stronger. Whether or not that involves expansion, we'll just have to wait and see."
—The SEC also submitted proposals in June, in a letter obtained by AP, to relax some of the rules governing contact between coaches and recruits. That includes allowing coaches to text recruits and eliminating the rule against incidental contact by combining the recruiting periods for having contact with prospects and evaluating them.
"Instances of incidental contact, commonly referred to as 'bumps,' are a source for media reports questioning the integrity of college coaches, create the expectation that high school coaches arrange incidental contact during an evaluation period and place college coaches intent on following the rules at a distinct disadvantaged compared to those who act with disregard," the letter states.
-- John Zenor
Swinney understands bottom line at Clemson
SUNSET, S.C. (AP) — Clemson coach Dabo Swinney knows questions will follow his Tigers into this season after last year's underwhelming record. He just hopes they don't last long.
"Well, we've had one good year and one bad year," Swinney said Tuesday. "And it's my job to make sure we don't have any more of those bad years."
Swinney took the Tigers to their first Atlantic Coast Conference championship game in 2009, his first full year as head coach. And even though he lost dynamic All-American tailback C.J. Spiller, Swinney figured he had enough pieces back from that Atlantic Division-winning team to make another run at a league championship.
Instead, injuries, a poor kicking game and an offense that couldn't score left the Tigers at 6-7, their first losing season since 1998. Clemson lost on a last-second field goal at Florida State, 16-13, was knocked around by rival South Carolina, 29-7, and were beaten by South Florida in the Meineke Bowl, 31-26.
"Usually, you count on the bowl game to take you into the season," guard Landon Walker said. "We didn't have that."
After scoring the most points in its history in 2009, the Tigers were 10th in ACC total offense last season. Five of Clemson's seven losses this season came by six points or less and Napier, the 31-year-old who was the youngest offensive coordinator in the Football Bowl Subdivision, became the lightning rod for fan frustration as the Tigers fell from ACC contention.
Walker said as the losses increased last season, the Tigers' attitudes soured. They lost a 17-0 lead at national champion Auburn to fall 27-24 in overtime. They were riddled by Miami at home, 30-21. They were beaten 21-16 by a North Carolina team supposedly reeling from NCAA suspensions and inquiry.
"Guys wanted to win, don't get me wrong," Walker said. "But I could see something was different. I'm not saying we got used to losing, but it was almost we'd forgotten was it was like to win."
Swinney vowed to make changes, and got rid of most of the offensive staff. Napier was fired, along with running backs coach Andre Powell. Longtime offensive line coach retired after 12 seasons with the Tigers to take an administrative position.
Swinney lured away Tulsa's Chad Morris, a protégé of Auburn offensive leader Gus Malzahn, to charge up the Tigers while former Vanderbilt coach Robbie Caldwell was hired to toughen up the line.
Caldwell wondered if he'd see players sulking over last year's problems. "Their attitude was just the opposite," Caldwell said. "They were dying to get back out there."
Morris' system had something to do with that. He spent spring ball preaching for more snaps, faster tempo and crisper decision making. Starting quarterback Tajh Boyd said the offense is like a coiled snake, ready to pounce and hold on once it engages. Running back Andre Ellington, who led the team witih 10 touchdowns despite a foot injury that cost him four games, is expected to be back healthy.
Swinney also delivered one of Clemson's best recruiting classes, one that was among the country's top 10 on several analysts' websites. Tailaback Mike Bellamy should get on the field quickly, while linebacker standouts Tony Steward and Stephone Anthony will challenge for playing time.
"Hopefully, we can get some solid play out of the young guys," Clemson defensive coordinator Kevin Steele said. "They're on scholarship, too, so we're going to put them out there and let them go."
And that's what concerns Swinney the most entering the fall. He expects up to 30 first-year players, between incoming freshmen and redshirts from last year, to see action because of Clemson's lack of depth. Swinney said his young players have potential for greatness. "I hope I'll be here to develop them all the way through," Swinney said.
He understands that might not happen with another losing season, although there are hopeful signs it might take a total collapse for Swinney's tenure to end. Morris, Caldwell and Clemson's two other new coaching hires all received multiyear deals. The Tigers are on their way to another stellar recruiting class, featuring Chad Kelly, the quarterback nephew of Buffalo Bills great Jim Kelly.
The Tigers start fall practice Aug. 5 and Swinney's ready to put the past in the past. "My mindset is let's get on with it," he said. "Let's go play."
-- Pete Iacobelli
Ineligible Jackson State predicted to win SWAC East
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Southwestern Athletic Conference coaches expect Jackson State to win its division, even if somebody else will take the Tigers' spot in the league championship game.
Coach Rick Comegy's team was picked to win the East at Tuesday's SWAC media day, less than two weeks after the league voted to ban both Jackson State and Southern from competing for the title because of low APR scores.
"We're going to go out there and play our style of football, and our style of football is winning football," said Comegy, whose program is celebrating its 100th year. "I know there's going to be a lot of teams that it's going to give them some motivation, but we're Jackson State and we've always had a reputation. I think we're the team to beat."
Grambling State was the pick of coaches and reporters to win the West in coach Doug Williams' first season back at his alma mater.
The NCAA banned both Jackson State and Southern from the postseason but considers the SWAC game an extension of the regular season.
Jackson State, which has won 16 SWAC titles, is led quarterback Casey Therriault, a Walter Payton Award finalist who is picked to repeat as SWAC offensive player of the year.
"We're still very motivated," defensive end Donavan Robinson said. "This team's motivated for each other . We're just not going to let one game dominate our season. We're still wanting to win."
Comegy said he encourages his players to focus on creating a memorable season.
"The only message we can give them is what's in front of us. This is their team," he said. "We can't worry about hardware right now. We've got to worry about where you want your team to be. If you're seniors, how do you want to go out? That's all they've got to worry about. Hardware breaks up. I've got trophies in my house that are broken up sitting on the floor. But I've got memories of the greatness of the guys that I played with, and that's what they're going to have."
Alabama A&M coach Anthony Jones doesn't think SWAC teams can take anything for granted playing against either of the banned teams.
"As far as the regular season is concerned, I don't think it changes," Jones said. "No one knows exactly how that's going to play out. And so I can guarantee you Southern and Jackson State will field some pretty good football teams. And they are going to be very, very, very competitive. And motivated. You can take them lightly if you choose to, but it won't work well in your favor."
There was no such controversy in the West Division. Williams is back for his second stint as Grambling's coach. He replaced Hall of Famer Eddie Robinson in 1997 and led his alma mater to three straight SWAC titles from 2000-2002. The former Super Bowl MVP, who had been working as the general manager of UFL's Virginia franchise, will be the front-runner again.
"I don't care who came to Grambling, I think because it's Grambling they should be picked to win it," he said, laughing. "It's always good to be picked to win it but at the same time we also know you have a target on your back when that happens. When you go out every week to play, somebody's laying in the bushes for you. We understand that."
He will have to start a freshman quarterback, either his son D.J. Williams or Frank Rivers.
-- John Zenor
ISU stars Osemele, Knott earn Big 12 honors
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa State offensive lineman Kelechi Osemele and linebacker Jake Knott have been named preseason All-Big 12 picks by the league's media.
Osemele, the 6-foot-6, 347-pound anchor of the Cyclones line, will be a senior this fall. He was an honorable mention all-league pick last season.
Knott, a native of Waukee, had a breakout season as a sophomore in 2010 with 130 tackles, four interceptions and four forced fumbles.
Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon and Oklahoma linebacker Travis Lewis were chosen as the Big 12's preseason players of the year by media members who cover the conference.
Iowa State opens the season on Sept. 3 by hosting Northern Iowa. The Cyclones face rival Iowa the following week in Ames.
Son of Eagles coordinator commits to Penn State
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Skyler Mornhinweg, a quarterback at St. Joseph's Prep and the son of Marty, the Eagles offensive coordinator, on Tuesday announced his decision to play at Penn State.
Mornhinweg, who made his official visit to State College last month, is a 6-foot-3, 215-pound rising senior, who originally committed to Stanford. But he backed out when former Cardinal coach Jim Harbaugh left for the NFL.
Mornhinweg is a three-year starter at quarterback, but also plays defensive back. He has compiled 45 touchdowns in his career, 32 of them through the air. Last year, he passed for 1,546 yards and 13 touchdowns. He is also the captain of the St. Joe's baseball team.
Badgers sending Butrym, Henry, Toon to luncheon
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin will be represented by defensive tackle Patrick Butrym, safety Aaron Henry and wide receiver Nick Toon at the 2011 Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon next Friday in Chicago.
The 40th annual event will mark Nebraska's first official appearance as a Big Ten Conference member. The Cornhuskers play their first conference game against the Badgers on Saturday, Oct. 1 in a night game at Camp Randall Stadium.
Butrym, Henry and Toon are all seniors who will be expected to lead their units this coming season for the Badgers. The trio combined to start 33 games and all three played in Wisconsin's Rose Bowl loss to TCU on Jan. 1.
Incoming South Carolina freshman linebacker arrested
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — An incoming South Carolina freshman linebacker has been charged with underage drinking in Columbia.
Police said 18-year-old Edward Muldrow was in the Five Points entertainment district last Thursday when an officer noticed him with a bottle of beer. Authorities say Muldrow tossed the bottle into the bushes when the officer asked him to come over. Police say Muldrow gave the officer his name, and was charged with underage drinking and littering.
Under university policy, athletes who are arrested are immediately suspended. A listing for Muldrow could not be found and it wasn't clear if he had an attorney.
Indiana football uniforms getting a retro look
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — The Indiana football team is going retro this season.
School officials say the Hoosiers will get rid of the stripes on their helmet and jersey sleeves in favor of more traditional garb. This year's uniforms will be Indiana's classic red and white. Last year's PowerWEB pants will be replaced with a more traditional design, and classic white face masks will replace the red ones that have been used since 2005. The new compression fit jerseys will not give opponents any extra material to grab.
The uniforms will be unveiled Sept. 3 when Indiana faces Ball State in the season opener at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. It will also be Kevin Wilson's first game as Indiana coach.
Southern Miss, BYU to play two-game series
HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) — Southern Miss and BYU have agreed to play a home-and-home football series beginning in 2014.
BYU, which recently became an independent football program after leaving the Mountain West Conference, will host the Golden Eagles in 2014 in Provo, Utah. BYU will make the return trip to Southern Miss in 2015. The teams have played twice before, splitting two games in 1975 and 1976.
EWU, MSU, UM favored in Big Sky football
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Defending national champion Eastern Washington is favored to win the Big Sky Conference football title in poll of coaches and media that cover the FCS league.
The preseason polls have last year's regular-season co-champion Montana State ranked second, followed by perennial national power Montana. Eastern Washington received six of the nine first-place votes in the coaches' poll, while Montana State received the other three. The Eagles received 29 first-place votes from the media, followed by MSU with 19 and Montana with three.
NSU's Rose on watch list for Buck Buchanan Award
NATCHITOCHES, La. (AP) — Northwestern State junior linebacker Derek Rose is part of a 20-player Watch List for the Football Championship Subdivision's 2011 Buck Buchanan Award.
The award will be presented to the FCS' outstanding defensive player at the national awards banquet Jan. 5 in Frisco. Rose is one of six linebackers to be named to the initial watch list and is the only player from the Southland Conference to join the group.
