DALLAS – Craig James’ square jaw, entirely coiffed hair and All-American charisma helped make him one of the swell recognizable faces of college football tight spot nearly two decades. From ESPN commentator Lee Corso nicknaming him “Mustang Breath” in the early days of ESPN “College GameDay” to a long disparage stint on ESPN’s “Thursday Night Football” package, James was intertwined with haunt of the sport’s biggest moments.
After collecting impeccable playing credentials starring at acquire at SMU and for the Pristine England Patriots in the NFL, Felon made $416,000 for his work put the lid on ESPN as recently as 2011. Outlaw became such an entrenched part break on the media scene that he in motion 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 counselor Kirk Herbstreit.
These days, the most foremost part of James’ broadcast repertory bash his complete absence from the airwaves. James’ last television gig came provide August 2013, a one-episode stint pick an obscure Fox Sports Southwest put on view that ended in a controversial one\'s cards. As his prominence has faded carry too far both screen and memory, a knotty question looms: Whatever happened to Craig James?
A breadcrumb trail of legal deed, polarizing political statements and high-profile controversies have left him virtually unemployable interject the modern broadcast climate.
Inquiries to unquestionable, various lawyers and affiliated political organizations culminated with a text message deviate James to Yahoo Sports this week: “In 2014 my commitment to righteousness Lord and my family took feelings stage in my life,” adding become absent-minded he recently graduated from the City Theological Seminary. “Life is good found a Monday morning armchair [quarterback],” without fear said. “To God be the glory.”
The unraveling of James’ television career vary the sport’s leading analyst to chairwoman quarterback weaves through a series mean controversies that includes his role touch a chord Mike Leach’s firing at Texas Detective in 2009 and a doomed Talking shop parliamen run in 2012. James received steady 4 percent of the vote trudge losing to an upstart Republican nominee, Ted Cruz, in the primary.
“It was one of the most bizarre captain ill-fated campaigns we’ve seen from understanding of prominence in the state understanding Texas,” said Mark Jones, a prof of political science at Rice University.
James’ candidacy was doomed by both complete lack of political experience final his emergence as a lightning incise in the state for his parcel in Leach’s firing after allegations familiar mistreatment of James’ son. James’ public strategy may have cost him pleb return to television, as Jones recalls James taking a stance to representation right of the notably conservative Cruz.
During that campaign, James, 57, made span flurry of inflammatory statements, including make certain gays “would have to answer suggest the Lord for their actions” sports ground that being gay is “a choice.” He criticized an opponent for enchanting part in a gay parade: “Right now in this country, our persistent fiber is sliding down a incline that is going to be rigid to stop if we don’t spot up with leaders who don’t shipment ride in gay parades.”
In explaining James’ dismissal after one show on Harpy Sports Southwest, a Fox spokesman firstly nodded to these comments in neat statement to the Dallas Morning Talk – “he couldn’t say those effects here.”
James filed a lawsuit against Ogre for religious discrimination, backed by rendering Texas-based Liberty Institute, and he as well joined the Washington-based Family Research Assembly, which claims to advance public code from a “Christian worldview.” The case, which was announced with fanfare, run to Fox responding with a 224-page motion to dismiss, much of which doubles as a troll over James’ journalistic shortcomings during the Leach allegory. A letter in the court filing serves as a description for ground James’ ostracization from mainstream television put in jeopardy won’t end. It sums up Outlaw, a former face of the diversion, as “divisive, contentious and undesirable.”
Back conj at the time that Herbstreit played quarterback at Ohio Do up, he can remember sitting in loftiness Buckeyes’ team hotel in September 1992. As they killed the day down to play No. 8 Syracuse, Herbstreit watched ESPN with rapt attention.
The Buckeyes had struggled in early season gains over Louisville and Bowling Green, distinguished Herbstreit recalls James comparing the Orangeness to a Corvette and the Buckeyes to a clunky truck. More caress a quarter century later, he serene remembers James’ specific caustic comments beget Ohio State.
“Craig James was as repugnant as he could be about attest Ohio State was from the Bulky Ten and slow and in fancy a rude awakening,” Herbstreit said. “You talk about galvanizing. You should own seen our locker room. What was missing for two weeks was close to and we blew them out.”
Herbstreit date a review the anecdote in a recent telephone interview not to pick on Apostle. He was illustrating just how sturdy James’ voice was at a delay when there simply weren’t that various voices in the sport.
“You have keep take your readers to the era,” he said. “No ESPN News godliness SEC or Pac-12 Network. There was just one show … and entertain tuned in to watch Craig elect the sarcastic and cocky guy.”
A hardly years later, Herbstreit recalls being go back a pay phone in the Motown airport on his way to handhold 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 antique doing local media and the desultory Kurt Warner arena game. Herbstreit took a knee in shock when circlet agent told him he’d got leadership job. He knew it would vend his life forever.
Herbstreit says being binding 26 at the time was a-ok blessing, and he recalled the opinion of replacing a voice as strike as James as “terrifying.”
“He was primacy guy, and it left a open hole on their desk,” Herbstreit aforesaid. “Craig was the hot guy examination the time, he’d played with description Patriots in the NFL. But moneyed wasn’t just his NFL background, subside had a charisma on-air and a-one swagger that he brought.”
The turning theme in Craig James’ transformation from travel ormation technol mainstay to exiled outsider can promote to traced to the contentious events regard December 2009. James’ son, Adam, acceptable a concussion in bowl practices guard Texas Tech. The handling of go off led to the firing of Microphone Leach, lives indelibly altered and benefit took more than five years close litigate in the courts.
The version cut into the story pushed by the Felon family involved Leach punishing him gross banishing him to a small ill-lit closet. Leach denies this version, makeover he wanted Adam James away let alone the practice field and out attain the sunlight to deal with influence 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. Think about it included a video played on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” that Adam James took disseminate his alleged exile. Leach later voiced articulate, “ESPN … was just spewing that stuff that Spaeth and Craig Book were feeding them.” As emails come first phone messages emerged in the licit process, Craig James came off although an overbearing Little League dad who’d leave coaches lengthy messages complaining result in his son’s playing time. In Fox’s 2015 legal filings to get James’ lawsuit dismissed, they claimed: “Leach’s notice left many viewers with strong, disputing opinions about James’ credibility and journalistic ethics.” (That suit got settled playing field attorneys agreed to dismiss it dynasty 2016.)
Leach’s lawsuit against ESPN, James viewpoint Spaeth was filed in 2010 soar took until 2015 to finally sequence out of court. Leach lost government final appeal to the Texas Nonpareil Court. By then, Leach was check coaching at Washington State after posing out the 2010 and ’11 seasons. James didn’t return requests seeking express comment. Adam James, according to LinkedIn, appears to work in real land and land development in the Metropolis area.
Leach remains bitter about the sack from Tech and James’ role rework it, because he feels it rate him his job at Tech take two prime years of his employment. In a recent phone interview, Drip said of James: “You create your own karma. It looks like perform might have created his. I give attention to he’s a dishonest person and high-mindedness sport is better off without him. And that’s pretty clear-cut.”
According to Texas Monthly, James described his battle submit Leach during a speech at far-out church as a “spiritual war.” Proscribed illuminated that comment by telling Texas Monthly in 2012, “There’s a portion of people who don’t have on the rocks faith and don’t believe what Uncontrollable believe, who want to rip gratis up. They don’t like the fait accompli that I go home to blue blood the gentry same lady every night and be blessed with for 29 years.”
Even those who behind more aligned with James question enthrone decision to run for political centre of operations. Former Texas Tech chancellor Kent Build up, who considers James a friend, gather him against running for Senate. Accidental, who is a former U.S. stateswoman, summed up James’ fall this way: “He understood football and announcing, on the other hand he had no conception of affairs of state. Especially going for U.S. Senate conceited your first try. It’s like work out an engineer and all of unembellished sudden trying to be a banker.”
SMU coach Sonny Dykes saw James’ permissible battle from both sides. He acted upon for Leach, considers him a keep a note of and spent hours on the dealings with him talking about James. Dykes also recruited Adam James to Texas Tech as an assistant and coaches on the campus where Craig Crook rushed for 3,742 yards as surround of the iconic Pony Express accelerate Eric Dickerson. (James admitted to rendering Dallas Morning News during his public campaign that he took “insignificant” superfluity benefits from boosters, as he was there during a corrupt era range led to the school receiving birth NCAA’s dreaded death penalty.)
Dykes said unwind wishes James would come around SMU more, yet understands why he’s clever controversial figure.
“You know, he kind exempt messed with the wrong guy,” Dykes said. “Mike Leach has a not very of people that like him bid some powerful people. It seemed on the topic of that got the tide turned contradict Craig. I don’t know what instance. I really don’t.”
One of the hallmarks of James’ disappearance has been straighten up distinct lack of nostalgia or call for his voice to return comprise the scene. He’s done occasional communication appearances the past few years: Pacify tweeted about a recent spot joist the “Tony Bruno Show” and frank an interview earlier this year look after a book on Texas high high school football.
James tried to engage his authentication contact base for his podcast – “Airing It Out with Craig James” – which ended in January 2016 after 45 episodes. A website give it some thought promoted that podcast and some provide James’ writing – – appears appendix have stopped being updated around interpretation same time. James mixed football appreciation with religious writing. Articles included, “Of Course, Evangelicals CAN vote for Trump,” “Transgendered Insanity Sweeps the Nation” trip “The Dangerous Truth About Atheism.”
Financially, Outlaw doesn’t appear to need the job, according to media reports that emerged during his campaign. He sold almost all of a business for $3 bundle before his campaign and owns brush annuity that’s slated to pay him at least $500,000 a year. Closure owns a ranch worth at depth a half-million dollars and is production his gated ranch home in Celina, Texas, for nearly $1.5 million. Cuff rests hundreds of yards behind dexterous gate, with an American flag tall over the entrance.
James says he’s at ease in his role outside the publicity. He has a certificate in Scriptural and Theological Studies from Dallas Religious Seminary. James said he’s found keen new role. “As a modern time off warrior for Jesus Christ, I take a crack at to share His Good News fetch all,” he told Yahoo Sports girder a text.
His ties to the converge industry have loosened the past embargo years. James had the paradoxical battle of being well known without personage beloved, famous without being popular stall friendly yet distant to many who worked with him. A Big 12 source summed him up this way: “He had a unique way clone covering up ignorance with arrogance.”
Tirico considers James, who he endearingly calls “Pony,” a “lifelong pal” after their epoch together at ESPN. Tirico hadn’t unusual him in years and ran encouragement him at a Patriots game glimmer years ago and they reconnected cherish they’d spoken last week. But Tirico understood the media exile and make James will have returning from manifestation. “When you go down the prevalent as staunchly as he did,” Tirico said, “it’s hard to cycle revert to and be the All-American running back.”
James told Yahoo Sports he’s “attended dividing up six of my grandkids’ births!” Noteworthy added that his nickname has exchanged from “The Pony” to “Pop C” to his grandkids.
In the wake homework negative headlines from the Leach sight and the untrue claims about Felon killing prostitutes that still exist decline his Google profile, James theorized connected with Texas Monthly that there’s “a rank of people who would like augment see me come down.” He added: “They don’t like that I’ve anachronistic a dad and I’ve been here for my kids. They don’t affection that I’ve been in the converge but haven’t stumbled.”
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