Big 12 Football Coaches: Make It A Decaffeinated

By Paul Gotham

Recent allegations of player abuse by Texas Tech’s Mike Leach call to mind a series of questionable interactions by Big 12 football coaches.

Maybe these guys should cut down on the coffee intake.

First, Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy had a good message. He wanted to protect his player. The fact that he reminded folks that he coaches students and not professionals is admirable. It’s just that about two minutes into his tirade bystanders had to worry about their personal safety.

That’s nothing.

Someone must have slipped a double  dose of espresso into the coffee of Colorado’s Dan Hawkins. Yeah, we get it. It’s division one football!

Mark Mangino got a little carried away with his 2007 National Coach of the Year recognition. The Kansas coach decided to remind his guys that he could send them back to the ghetto if they didn’t perform. Coach, that does not go over too well.  You might want to cut it down to five cups of joe per day.

Mack Brown didn’t abuse any players, but the Texas coach must have just finished a Dunkin’ Donuts Turbo when he sent  Longhorn volleyball coach, Jerritt Elliott a text message: “David versus Goliath. Just like us.” Mack, the volleyball team was preparing for Penn State. The last time the Nittany Lion volleyball lost, GW was the president. David? Mack have you considered that your student body is somewhere in the range of 50,000? Don’t forget all those mottoes about how everything is bigger in Texas. David and Goliath? It just didn’t work for the Longhorns.

Bringing Adam James to Texas Tech must have looked pretty good at one time. Heck, the son of a former NFL player and current ESPN analyst could only help the PR for the program. Right? Coach Leach, you might want to reconsider the whole idea of sending players to the shed.

And, you might want to make it decaffeinated.