Is it my imagination, or are most tight ends in ...

Filed under: Texas Tech , Big 12 , Coaching Texas Tech announced Monday afternoon that it has suspended head football coach Mike Leach after receiver Adam James and his father, ESPN analyst and former SMU running back Craig James, complained to the school about alleged mistreatment after the player sustained a serious head injury. Leach is currently being investigated by the school. Defensive coordinator Ruffin McNeill will assume the head coaching duties on an interim basis while the Red Raiders prepare to meet Michigan State in Saturday's Alamo Bowl. A source with knowledge of the situation confirmed that Leach is under investigation for allegedly sending a player into a darkened room after he came to practice wearing sunglasses as a result of a recent mild concussion. It has been confirmed that the unnamed player is sophomore receiver Adam James.

Filed under: Bulls , NBA Rumors , NBA Coaches If Chicago's front office is planning on firing Vinny Del Negro, they haven't told him. That was the message Del Negro told reporters following Monday's practice, reacting to a report Sunday evening from ESPN's Chris Broussard that the decision to replace him has already been made, and that the team was simply looking for the right successor. Del Negro pointed to his daily communication with vice president John Paxson and GM Gar Forman as proof that his job was safe. "It's just funny to me," Del Negro said . "There's really nothing to say. You have all these people that have rumors, and everyone has their sources. It's just not accurate. I don't have time to deal with rumors. I talk to Gar and Pax every day. They're at practice every day." Later, Del Negro added "When you ask those questions, it's easy for me to say that, but go ask those guys. Go ask them. But I talk to them every day. ... Those are questions for them to answer. But it's really a waste of time, because I know we're on the same page." If Del Negro expected a public vote of confidence, it didn't happen; according to the Chicago Sun-Times , Chicago Tribune and ESPN Chicago, Paxson and Forman declined to comment on Del Negro's job security. They won't be able to ignore this rumor for long, though, so stay tuned.

Filed under: Bengals , Colts , Jets , NFL Analysis FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- While Indianapolis coach Jim Caldwell roasted Monday in the kind of heat only a sports-obsessed 24-hour news cycle can offer, the beneficiaries of the Colts ' decision gathered here to celebrate their good fortune. The New York Jets find themselves in that most blissful of late-December football positions -- control of their own destiny. If they beat the Bengals on Sunday night at home, they will be in the playoffs. And the real good news? The Bengals, already champions of the AFC North, don't need the game and could very well rest their stars against the Jets like the Colts did Sunday. "We're preparing as if Carson Palmer will be the quarterback and Chad Ochocinco will be a receiver and all that," Jets coach Rex Ryan said. "But Cincinnati's earned that right, and they'll make those choices."

Filed under: WBA , WBC , IBF , WBO , Golden Boy Promotions , HBO , FanHouse Exclusive FanHouse caught up to Golden Boy Promotions' CEO, Richard Schaefer , whose company is handling the negotiations on behalf of Floyd Mayweather (40-0, 25 knockouts) for the potential blockbuster bout with seven-division world champion, Manny Pacquiao , who is the current WBO welterweight (147 pounds) titlist. Tentatively slated for March 13 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Mayweather-Pacquaio was all-but done until a controversy surfaced over pre-fight drug-testing. Mayweather's camp is demanding that both fighters be tested using random urinalysis and bloodwork; Pacquiao is fine with the urine-testing, but would prefer not to have blood drawn within 30 days of the fight. Mayweather's side has softened its position of having the United States Anti-Doping Agency do the testing, just as Pacquaio's promoter, Top Rank's Bob Arum , seems to have eased up on the notion of random blood-testing, as long as it is done by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Arum stated that Monday is the last day to get the deal done, or he will move on to signing up Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 KOs) to face either New York's, junior middleweight (140 pounds) Paulie Malignaggi (27-3, five knockouts) or New York's WBA junior middleweight (154 pounds) champion Yuri Foreman (28-0, eight KOs) on March 13. "I can't imagine Manny Pacquiao walking away from $25 million because he refuses to have blood and urine drawn, and then going off to do something else and making half of that," said Mayweather's adviser, Leonard Ellerbe . "The clock is ticking, but I think that Manny Pacquiao will eventually step up and take the test." Schaefer sheds his views on the state of affairs in this Q&A below:

Filed under: Florida , SEC There isn't a doubt what those who run the University of Florida must do right now regarding Urban Meyer. They must tell him to go. They must do so after swallowing their pride while calling another news conference in New Orleans, where the Gators football team is preparing for the Sugar Bowl. This time, in contrast to the last time on Sunday, when Meyer said he changed his mind within 24 hours about resigning, they must tell their coach of five seasons that it has been a splendid ride along the way to two national champions that complemented a 56-10 record overall and a 32-8 mark in the SEC. Afterward, they must ignore the screaming that will come from the Gator Nation after they give Meyer a firm handshake on his way out of their coaching door forever. He's got to go, all right. He can't spend another moment e-mailing recruits during church services, as he said the other day. He can't move through more springs and summers battling the turmoil inside of his chest and his head. He definitely can't stand on the sidelines for another Florida game with Georgia, Tennessee or any of those other conference monsters across the way -- not if Meyer has spent the last few weeks, months and years suffering as much as he says he has been. As scenarios for burnout coaches go, this one doesn't pass the smell test. In fact, it just smells.

Olympic rosters are starting to be announced, and on Sunday team Sweden was presented to the public for the first time. It includes the obvious choices like Detroit's Henrik Zetterberg and Nicklas Lidstrom, Washington's Nicklas Backstrom and the Sedin twins, Henrik and Daniel. One name that's not on the roster is one of the Sedin's Vancouver teammates, Mikael Samuelsson . And he's not happy about it.

Filed under: PGA , Golf Odds and Ends The PGA Tour next week begins a second consecutive season without its best player. Unlike last year, however, when Tiger Woods was rehabbing a surgically repaired knee in a hard-working push to return to competition, this season he has gone underground to hide from the backlash of a tawdry secret life. Last year, Woods' return to the PGA Tour was charted and awaited. Then year, when the SBS Championship -- a field of tournament winners -- tees off Jan. 7 in Kapalua, Hawaii, nobody has a clue what Woods' role will be in 2010.

Filed under: Bruins , Flyers , Winter Classic One of these years, an NHL Winter Classic will be postponed. This is the reality of holding an open-air hockey game in the United States on January 1 when the weather is unpredictable. As wonderful as these events have been -- the light snow in Buffalo, the glory of Wrigley Field -- the week leading up to the Winter Classic will never fail to cause Gary Bettman, NHL marketing executives and everyone involved to toss and turn in their sleep. This week in Boston is no exception. Like most of the East, Massachusetts had unseasonably warm weather the last two days. On Monday, the rains came. NHL ice man Dan Craig said his weather forecasters initially told him to expect a 50 percent chance of snow on New Year's Day. Now their projections have changed to rain. Craig says he doesn't worry about what he cannot control. He has a job to do.

Filed under: Panthers , NFL Coaching , NFL Rumors Panthers coach John Fox and general manager Marty Hurney have been on the hot seat for nearly four years now. Last season's playoff run saved both their gigs for this season after a really disappointing year in 2007 that featured far too much Mittens (David Carr for the uninitiated). Then this season, Jake Delhomme couldn't shake the bug from last season's playoff loss to Arizona and it appeared that owner Jerry Richardson might just have to fire both of them, regardless of whether he wanted to or not. But late-season, semi-irrelevant blowout upset wins over the Vikings and Giants have apparently secured their future with the Panthers for at least one more year, according to the Charlotte Observer . Fox, whose contract will expire after the 2010 season, will not be offered an extension, however. Sources say he is scheduled to make about $6 million next season. Fox's entire coaching staff is also included in the invitation, which the Observer notes could also be related to the looming potential lockout.

Filed under: College Sports On Pam Ward's home planet there are no injuries. So it only make sense that she would have very little patience for the fragile existence humans lead on Earth. And knowing that explains this: while calling the Little Caesar's Pizza Bowl this weekend, Ward expressed frustration at the time it took to get an injured Marshall player off the field: "Get him off the field, please...Come on!" indeed. There are two ways to look at this. For the glass-half-full set: Ward is hoping the Marshall player is off the field so the game can resume when ESPN returns from break. Or two, Ward, like me, is an impatient jerk. I'm leaning toward the latter, but because it's the holiday season, I'll give Ward the benefit of the doubt. via Deadspin

Filed under: Celtics , Clippers , NBA Videos Exciting times Sunday night at Staples Center. The East-leading Celtics were in town to face the Clippers , which means it was one of the few nights when the arena was packed for L.A.'s second-class team. And the Clips did not disappoint. The teams were all tied up at 90 with exactly one second left on the clock. It was at that point that Baron Davis worked his magic, hitting an extremely tough, turn-around fadeaway jumper (at the 1:37 mark) to give his team the victory,

Filed under: NFL The Steelers defeated the Ravens Sunday to keep their slim playoff hopes alive for another week. And while the often maligned, Troy Polamalu -less secondary went another game without an interception, the front seven picked up the slack. James Farrior had a pick, LaMarr Woodley had two sacks and a forced fumble, rookie Ziggy Hood registered his first NFL sack and he recovered a fumble late in the fourth quarter that all but sealed the game. Backup defensive lineman Nick Eason managed just two tackles, but his performance was critical to the team's success. At least if you're of the opinion that at this point in the proceedings, luck has as much to do with winning as on-field excecution. And since the Steelers have lost eminently winnable games to the Chiefs, Raiders and Browns, that seems like a fair assessment. Which is why Eason should bust out the Steelers helmet Afro for the rest of the season, however long that lasts. Between that and Ben Roethlisberger 's "homage to Ken Anderson" (read: somebody got Anchorman for Christmas), the Steelers postseason hopes are suddenly somewhere north of "no way in hell."

Filed under: Browns , Buccaneers , NFL Coaching , NFL Analysis The hot item on Sunday's rumor mill was about Bill Cowher and the Bucs. Cowher, so the rumors went, had been approached by Tampa Bay about replacing Raheem Morris after it looked like Morris would go 2-14 in his rookie year. That was following the speculation all week about Mike Holmgren's intentions as the new president of the Browns toward Eric Mangini, who seemed to be coaching his way to oblivion. Except that the Bucs then went out and won their second straight game, 20-17 in overtime in New Orleans, over a team that until last week was unbeaten. And the Browns won their third straight, beating Oakland for their fourth victory of the season. At least Holmgren is a football man who will make the right choice for the right reasons. The Glazer family, owners of the Bucs, know so little about football that it took them six years to figure out that the Super Bowl they won after the 2002 season was the work of Tony Dungy and Rich McKay, not Jon Gruden and Bruce Allen, who they fired a year ago. Hey guys, if you're gonna clean house for a baby coach, at least give him some time to learn.

Filed under: College Sports , Sports Media , Podcast The FanHouse Podcast : Because bloggers are much sexier on the phone. FanHouse's Clay Travis joins HausCast to talk about the biggest sports news of the weekend: Urban Meyer 's decision to step down as the University of Florida's football coach. Unlike the Tiger Woods PR machine, which regularly tried to bury news, the Meyer story broke on a Saturday during a full slate of bowl games. The subject -- infidelity versus health issues -- obviously played a role, but why not wait until after the Sugar Bowl? Taking the longer view, what does this mean for the Gators' program, and more generally, the balance of power in the SEC? Clay also wonders if Lane Kiffin had something to do with Meyer's decision and whether Meyer will be able to stay off the sidelines in 2010. Talking starts after the jump.

Filed under: Clemson , Kentucky , ACC , SEC , Bowl Games NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- With the wind swirling at up to 435 miles an hour -- potentially inflated due to my lack of meteorological training -- the Kentucky Wildcats and Clemson Tigers kicked off for the always exhilarating night game in late December. In Nashville. Between two Southern teams. The only thing less popular among these collective fan bases was the drive to legalize gay marriage via state constitutional referendum. As I walked across the Cumberland River buffeted by the strong air current, suddenly two small children were swept from their parents' grasp and floated, like tiny mewling dirigibles, slowly across the dark ribbon of the river to the east bank of Nashville. There the children, jaws still agape from their ride on the wind, sat in the shadows of the stadium awaiting the arrival of their stunned parents. OK, that didn't happen. But if it had it would have been indicative of the game to come: the wind was the MVP of the Music City Bowl. Ultimately, Clemson withstood the wind better than Kentucky did, pulling away for an uninspiring 21-13 victory and sending Kentucky's Rich Brooks into retirement. "I told my team, [there's] probably [an] 80 percent chance that I'm not coming back," Brooks said immediately after the loss. Let's break down how the game played out: