Commentary: At what point does discipline turn into abuse'

By Mr. Zack Shelby (IMCOM)January 6, 2010

FORT EUSTIS, Va. (Jan. 6, 2010) -- Former Texas Tech head football coach Mike Leach was fired Dec. 30, 2009, for breaching performance provisions in his contract after being suuspended by the university for allegedly mistreating an injured player.

The letter of termination cited "fair and responsible treatment of student-athletes in relation to their health, welfare and discipline."

If you sub out the term "student-athlete" for "Soldier," there's a pretty interesting parallel that may be drawn.

Leaders in the Army are charged with walking a very fine line between instilling discipline within its ranks and not crossing that boundary of using extreme measures to do so.

In the case of Leach, it was determined, at least by the university and possibly later on in court, that he went too far.

Leach is accused of making Texas Tech receiver Adam James stand inside a storage shed after he was diagnosed with a mild concussion. There are also sources that say on a second occasion, James was made to stay inside of an electrical closet. Leach's camp hasn't disputed the acts as much as it has whether or not they were actually as extreme as perceived.

I would venture to say there are many military leaders who have been faced with a similar scenario.

Not too much has been said about the player as far as questions about his character, loyalty to the team, toughness, etc. However, the fact that his father Craig James, a former college and NFL player, as well as current commentator for ESPN, has been a factor. Leach has accused "Papa James" of trying to use his position to generate more playing time for "Son James" who was not a starter at Texas Tech.

However, while Leach has been labeled as the bad guy in many circuits, he is widely supported in Lubbock, Texas, where Texas Tech is located. One fan said it was "a sad day" when Leach was fired and that he "did a lot of good things for Lubbock and Texas Tech." Another fan said in Lubbock, "James and his father are the bad guys."

The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle, but, it's hard to ignore the success Leach had at the university. The Red Raiders of Texas Tech finished the season 9-4 and rallied to win the Alamo Bowl over Michigan State 41-31 Saturday. While that game was not coached by Leach, the others were. Everyone likes a winner, especially football fans in Texas. Leach has helped provide that success to Lubbock, perhaps with the very same leadership style that recently became his undoing.

The argument can certainly be made that it takes a leader who is willing to tempt boundaries to become successfull - as a leader of a team or of Soldiers.

Perhaps James was out of line. Maybe Leach was just trying to make an example out of him. Perhaps Leach has been out of line for a while and someone finally stepped up and said something about it.

Is it always abusive to make an example out of someone' How do you determine who that player or Soldier is' Do they have to be a troublemaker to justify a harsher brand of treatment' These are not easy questions to answer. There are various ways to lead people and all of those methods have succeeded and failed over time.

Reputation is certainly a factor as well. If you are known to be credible over a certain period of time, maybe you are given a benefit of the doubt in a sticky situation. A clean reputation wasn't something that Leach afforded for himself.

After a blowout loss in October, Leach blamed the performance on the players' "fat girlfriends." He also bolted to a job interview for another headcoaching vacancy without notifying Texas Tech. He is as widely known for his free-spirit and colorful language as his success as a leader.

I wouldn't tell a leader of players or Soldiers how close to get to that "line," but I would advise thinking long and hard before making a potentially extreme decision that could damage a career.

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