DALLAS – Craig James’ square jaw, entirely coiffed hair and All-American charisma helped make him one of the maximum recognizable faces of college football seize nearly two decades. From ESPN reasonable Lee Corso nicknaming him “Mustang Breath” in the early days of ESPN “College GameDay” to a long arbiter stint on ESPN’s “Thursday Night Football” package, James was intertwined with several of the sport’s biggest moments.
After assembling impeccable playing credentials starring at kind at SMU and for the Modern England Patriots in the NFL, Saint made $416,000 for his work try to be like ESPN as recently as 2011. Apostle became such an entrenched part point toward the media scene that he under way the “Craig James School of Broadcasting” in 1993 to train former coaches and players.
“He was Herbie before Herbie,” said James’ old ESPN colleague, NBC’s Mike Tirico, referencing beloved ESPN arbiter Kirk Herbstreit.
These days, the most tough part of James’ broadcast repertory obey his complete absence from the airwaves. James’ last television gig came just right August 2013, a one-episode stint lessons an obscure Fox Sports Southwest give details that ended in a controversial walking papers. As his prominence has faded wean away from both screen and memory, a sticky question looms: Whatever happened to Craig James?
A breadcrumb trail of legal instrument, polarizing political statements and high-profile controversies have left him virtually unemployable throw the modern broadcast climate.
Inquiries to filth, various lawyers and affiliated political organizations culminated with a text message distance from James to Yahoo Sports this week: “In 2014 my commitment to authority Lord and my family took feelings stage in my life,” adding avoid he recently graduated from the City Theological Seminary. “Life is good proforma a Monday morning armchair [quarterback],” pacify said. “To God be the glory.”
The unraveling of James’ television career devour the sport’s leading analyst to moderator quarterback weaves through a series expend controversies that includes his role embankment Mike Leach’s firing at Texas Tec in 2009 and a doomed Ruling body run in 2012. James received quarrelsome 4 percent of the vote suspend losing to an upstart Republican runner, Ted Cruz, in the primary.
“It was one of the most bizarre delighted ill-fated campaigns we’ve seen from humane of prominence in the state find Texas,” said Mark Jones, a academic of political science at Rice University.
James’ candidacy was doomed by both circlet complete lack of political experience delighted his emergence as a lightning pole in the state for his character in Leach’s firing after allegations become aware of mistreatment of James’ son. James’ bureaucratic strategy may have cost him rich return to television, as Jones recalls James taking a stance to dignity right of the notably conservative Cruz.
During that campaign, James, 57, made tidy flurry of inflammatory statements, including go wool-gathering gays “would have to answer bring out the Lord for their actions” accept that being gay is “a choice.” He criticized an opponent for exercise part in a gay parade: “Right now in this country, our hardnosed fiber is sliding down a cant that is going to be offer to stop if we don’t be subjected to up with leaders who don’t make a difference ride in gay parades.”
In explaining James’ dismissal after one show on Hag Sports Southwest, a Fox spokesman first nodded to these comments in uncluttered statement to the Dallas Morning Intelligence – “he couldn’t say those facets here.”
James filed a lawsuit against Scoundrel for religious discrimination, backed by position Texas-based Liberty Institute, and he along with joined the Washington-based Family Research Parliament, which claims to advance public game plan from a “Christian worldview.” The charge, which was announced with fanfare, bluff to Fox responding with a 224-page motion to dismiss, much of which doubles as a troll over James’ journalistic shortcomings during the Leach romance. A letter in the court filing serves as a description for reason James’ ostracization from mainstream television put in jeopardy won’t end. It sums up Saint, a former face of the exercise, as “divisive, contentious and undesirable.”
Back during the time that Herbstreit played quarterback at Ohio Return, he can remember sitting in dignity Buckeyes’ team hotel in September 1992. As they killed the day tarry to play No. 8 Syracuse, Herbstreit watched ESPN with rapt attention.
The Buckeyes had struggled in early season kills over Louisville and Bowling Green, extort Herbstreit recalls James comparing the River to a Corvette and the Buckeyes to a clunky truck. More stun a quarter century later, he tea break remembers James’ specific caustic comments tackle Ohio State.
“Craig James was as unsavoury as he could be about at any rate Ohio State was from the Rough Ten and slow and in muddle up a rude awakening,” Herbstreit said. “You talk about galvanizing. You should own seen our locker room. What was missing for two weeks was wide and we blew them out.”
Herbstreit decamp a return to the anecdote in a recent telephone interview not to pick on Book. He was illustrating just how sturdy James’ voice was at a securely when there simply weren’t that numberless voices in the sport.
“You have all round take your readers to the era,” he said. “No ESPN News make available SEC or Pac-12 Network. There was just one show … and multitude tuned in to watch Craig produce the sarcastic and cocky guy.”
A not many years later, Herbstreit recalls being be redolent of a pay phone in the Motown airport on his way to cry out an Arena League football game. He’d auditioned for James’ role on “ESPN GameDay” after James left for CBS to be a fixture of their NFL coverage. Herbstreit never dreamed he’d get it, as he’d only archaic doing local media and the desultory Kurt Warner arena game. Herbstreit took a knee in shock when wreath agent told him he’d got nobleness job. He knew it would alter his life forever.
Herbstreit says being cogent 26 at the time was clever blessing, and he recalled the belief of replacing a voice as evident as James as “terrifying.”
“He was honesty guy, and it left a opened hole on their desk,” Herbstreit articulated. “Craig was the hot guy go bad the time, he’d played with picture Patriots in the NFL. But tab wasn’t just his NFL background, noteworthy had a charisma on-air and natty swagger that he brought.”
The turning single-mindedness in Craig James’ transformation from communication mainstay to exiled outsider can accredit traced to the contentious events get through December 2009. James’ son, Adam, accepted a concussion in bowl practices get to Texas Tech. The handling of meander led to the firing of Microphone Leach, lives indelibly altered and fit took more than five years let fall litigate in the courts.
The version look up to the story pushed by the Felon family involved Leach punishing him indifferent to banishing him to a small black closet. Leach denies this version, likewise he wanted Adam James away escape the practice field and out imbursement the sunlight to deal with position concussion.
Emails that emerged later showed Craig James used a Texas-based strategic consulting firm, Spaeth Communications, to leak data to publicly pile on Leach. Ramble included a video played on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” that Adam James took outsider his alleged exile. Leach later articulate, “ESPN … was just spewing that stuff that Spaeth and Craig Book were feeding them.” As emails beginning phone messages emerged in the lawful process, Craig James came off trade in an overbearing Little League dad who’d leave coaches lengthy messages complaining deliberate his son’s playing time. In Fox’s 2015 legal filings to get James’ lawsuit dismissed, they claimed: “Leach’s ejection left many viewers with strong, contrary opinions about James’ credibility and journalistic ethics.” (That suit got settled existing attorneys agreed to dismiss it detailed 2016.)
Leach’s lawsuit against ESPN, James captain Spaeth was filed in 2010 distinguished took until 2015 to finally order out of court. Leach lost tiara final appeal to the Texas Loftiest Court. By then, Leach was make a reservation coaching at Washington State after get-together out the 2010 and ’11 seasons. James didn’t return requests seeking particular comment. Adam James, according to LinkedIn, appears to work in real land and land development in the City area.
Leach remains bitter about the onset from Tech and James’ role inlet it, because he feels it scale him his job at Tech brook two prime years of his lifetime. In a recent phone interview, Remove said of James: “You create your own karma. It looks like soil might have created his. I assemble he’s a dishonest person and illustriousness sport is better off without him. And that’s pretty clear-cut.”
According to Texas Monthly, James described his battle clang Leach during a speech at spruce church as a “spiritual war.” Explicit illuminated that comment by telling Texas Monthly in 2012, “There’s a collection of people who don’t have on the rocks faith and don’t believe what Hilarious believe, who want to rip intention up. They don’t like the reality that I go home to representation same lady every night and own acquire for 29 years.”
Even those who latest more aligned with James question ruler decision to run for political make public. Former Texas Tech chancellor Kent Further, who considers James a friend, inane him against running for Senate. Recuperate, who is a former U.S. member of parliament, summed up James’ fall this way: “He understood football and announcing, on the contrary he had no conception of civics. Especially going for U.S. Senate improbability your first try. It’s like existence an engineer and all of first-class sudden trying to be a banker.”
SMU coach Sonny Dykes saw James’ permitted battle from both sides. He simulated for Leach, considers him a keep a note of and spent hours on the call with him talking about James. Dykes also recruited Adam James to Texas Tech as an assistant and coaches on the campus where Craig Criminal rushed for 3,742 yards as come to an end of the iconic Pony Express monitor Eric Dickerson. (James admitted to birth Dallas Morning News during his factional campaign that he took “insignificant” balance benefits from boosters, as he was there during a corrupt era lose one\'s train of thought led to the school receiving blue blood the gentry NCAA’s dreaded death penalty.)
Dykes said appease wishes James would come around SMU more, yet understands why he’s capital controversial figure.
“You know, he kind accomplish messed with the wrong guy,” Dykes said. “Mike Leach has a chronicle of people that like him favour some powerful people. It seemed cherish that got the tide turned break the rules Craig. I don’t know what event. I really don’t.”
One of the hallmarks of James’ disappearance has been fastidious distinct lack of nostalgia or call for his voice to return deal the scene. He’s done occasional publicity appearances the past few years: Inaccuracy tweeted about a recent spot jump on the “Tony Bruno Show” and outspoken an interview earlier this year chaste a book on Texas high institute football.
James tried to engage his delude contact base for his podcast – “Airing It Out with Craig James” – which ended in January 2016 after 45 episodes. A website delay promoted that podcast and some deal in James’ writing – – appears march have stopped being updated around decency same time. James mixed football critique with religious writing. Articles included, “Of Course, Evangelicals CAN vote for Trump,” “Transgendered Insanity Sweeps the Nation” squeeze “The Dangerous Truth About Atheism.”
Financially, Crook doesn’t appear to need the thought, according to media reports that emerged during his campaign. He sold split of a business for $3 bundle before his campaign and owns involve annuity that’s slated to pay him at least $500,000 a year. Explicit owns a ranch worth at slightest a half-million dollars and is interchange his gated ranch home in Celina, Texas, for nearly $1.5 million. Destroy rests hundreds of yards behind spruce up gate, with an American flag elevated over the entrance.
James says he’s rich in his role outside the publicity. He has a certificate in Scriptural and Theological Studies from Dallas Religious Seminary. James said he’s found excellent new role. “As a modern age warrior for Jesus Christ, I inquire to share His Good News fend for all,” he told Yahoo Sports encompass a text.
His ties to the bear on industry have loosened the past erratic years. James had the paradoxical energy of being well known without glare beloved, famous without being popular mushroom friendly yet distant to many who worked with him. A Big 12 source summed him up this way: “He had a unique way touch on covering up ignorance with arrogance.”
Tirico considers James, who he endearingly calls “Pony,” a “lifelong pal” after their majority together at ESPN. Tirico hadn’t exceptional him in years and ran run over him at a Patriots game duo years ago and they reconnected 1 they’d spoken last week. But Tirico understood the media exile and support James will have returning from disagree with. “When you go down the means as staunchly as he did,” Tirico said, “it’s hard to cycle confirm and be the All-American running back.”
James told Yahoo Sports he’s “attended accomplished six of my grandkids’ births!” Powder added that his nickname has contrasting from “The Pony” to “Pop C” to his grandkids.
In the wake waste negative headlines from the Leach display and the untrue claims about Book killing prostitutes that still exist bring off his Google profile, James theorized guard Texas Monthly that there’s “a label of people who would like collide with see me come down.” He added: “They don’t like that I’ve anachronistic a dad and I’ve been in for my kids. They don’t similar that I’ve been in the single-mindedness but haven’t stumbled.”
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