TOXICOLOGY REPORT FROM OU LINEBACKER REALLY HORRIFIC, LEACH PULLS NO PUNCHES IN NEW BOOK & DEION'S "NO MAN" IDEA IS A HOT ONE
OU linebacker Austin Box passed away on May 19th after being found in an unresponsive state at an El Reno Oklahoma residence. The toxicology report was made public on Monday & the results were truly frightening, particularly disturbing to the 22-year old's parents. Oxymorphone, a semi-synthetic opioid, Hydromorphone, a morphine derivative, Hydrocodone, an active narcotic analgesic, Oxycodone, an opioid anagesic & Morphine, a potent opiate, were all found in Box's system. It doesn't take a medical examiner to know this is a lethal combination. What hurt his parents most was how their son kept his pain management to himself. Tho most of the drugs were not prescribed to him, he some how got a hold of enough to cause his death. Since Box was 22-years old, his parents were never counseled about their son's pain. Numerous surgeries, including a 2010 operation on his spine, left the former 5-star recruit a shell of the prospect that enrolled in Norman back in 2007. What Box wanted to do is play one more season for the Sooners. His aspirations to play at the professional level were no longer a realistic goal, his redshirt senior season would have been his last in football, but he wanted to play so desperately. Enough so, that he risked his life managing his pain with prescription drugs he obtained from team doctors & other pain meds he found on the street. Craig & Gail Box issued a statement Monday, part of it read:
"Our son endured so many injuries during the last seven years of his life, most required surgery. The last one was the scariest to him, in August of 2010, he ruptured a disc in his spine, he lost the feeling in his left foot. We were certain his career was over. But like every time before, he battled back, he knew the team needed him on the field where only the most elite do battle. It is with much sadness, we look back & see Austin had recently turned to other methods of managing his pain. Methods that we hope if others are employing, they will see this tragic accident as a message & think about the consequences. Our greatest regret is Austin did not feel he could share his pain with those who loved him, he chose to suffer in silence."
Tough to read. As someone who depends on five Hydrocodone a day to get thru life between cortisone injections, I can tell you honestly, these meds are serious business, having five different drugs in your body at once is unthinkable to me. The side effects alone can cause their own misery, but it's still better than attempting to endure such horrific pain without the meds. It's such a waste when a young life is snuffed out because of drugs, be it cocaine, meth, heroin or legal prescriptions. Each of them not only breaks down things in your nervous system but can cause permanent damage to a variety of organs including the brain. But it's that constant pain that can cause people desperate for relief to take one more pill than they should or add another med a buddy is taking. I could be accused of making too much of this story, but ask the Box family if it's too big a deal. Ask any family member who has lost a loved one to drugs, I bet they'll think this post should have gone further. If you know someone who might be using "painkillers" due to broken bones or surgeries, keep an eye on them. Things can go from bad to worse to fatal very quickly, especially for those using these very dangerous drugs for the 1st time.
Former Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach has released his new book "Swing Your Sword" & he wastes no time in going after the people he believes are responsible for his termination in November of 2009. Since there is so much material he & his attorneys have assembled for his lawsuit against the university & James, I will give you new stuff for the next 4-5 days. I thought from day one, the school's administration was bitter about being defeated in contract negotiations by Leach & were just looking for an excuse to get rid of him. Along came "The James Gang," ESPN college football analyst Craig James & his son, Tech wide receiver Adam James. In less than 48-hours James & his employer launched a "scorched earth" assault on Leach & he was fired. His $9 million lawsuit against Tech & James hasn't been decided, but I have the feeling Leach will receive a helluva lot of money from the defendants & shortly thereafter, will find another head coaching job. Here's today's entry from Leach's new book:
"Adam James was a kid who seemed like he had been given everything he wanted his whole life & acted like if things didn't go exactly how he wanted, then it was because someone was treating him unfairly or his failures were somebody else's fault. He was a selfish player on & off the field who was counter productive for our team & would be for any other team."
Graham Harrell, Tech starting QB 2006-2008
The negotiating regulars will return for today's NFL labor talks. The lawyers held down the fort Monday & Tuesday, dotting i's & crossing t's. Jerry Richardson, Jerry Jones, John Mara, Robert Kraft, Clark Hunt & Art Rooney will be on the owners side of the table & Dominique Foxworth, Sean Morey & Jeff Saturday will be present for the players. Team leaders DeMaurice Smith & Commissioner Roger Goodell will also be in the trenches. I was quite confident a few days ago, now, not so much.
Deion Sanders can rub people the wrong way at times, I've had that reaction to stuff "Primetime" has said in the past. But overall , I think Sanders is A, the best cover man I ever saw & B, he speaks the truth most of the time. He hit on a novel idea when he was asked about the young millionaires in today's NFL. "The hardest thing to do is get their attention, they think they know pretty much everything & when you add huge sums of cash to the equation, they can be nearly deaf to anyone speaking reasonably" Sanders said. They surround themselves with "yes men" put them on the payroll & then always get the same answer to every question...."YES!" Sanders added "what they really need is a "no man." Someone who will look them straight in the eye & say "NO!" But as Sanders went on to say, "even then there's no guarantee they'll listen to anyone who disagrees with them." He said he had to cut the umbilical cord with Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant. According to Sanders, the Cowboy coaching staff is even more concerned with Bryant's erratic behavior than he was "I had to separate myself from him, there was more to it than people know." Bryant was ruled ineligible by the NCAA in 2009 after lying to investigators about a luncheon at Sanders' Dallas-area home. Some believe Sanders was steering the WR prospect to his agent, Eugene Parker, which was never proved. Regardless, Sanders was prepping Bryant for the NFL Scouting Combine & the Draft when he suddenly severed their relationship. "Too many yes men in his ear, they were deafening" Sanders said. I think Deion is 100% correct on his point. I've watched "yes men" destroy one athlete after another when a strong "no man" might have saved them. Anyone have a shred of a doubt that Mike Tyson would have fared better had he stayed with Bill Cayton, Cus D'Amato & Kevin Rooney? As soon as he went with Don King & his 3-ring circus, Tyson was a different fighter. He was no longer the guy everyone was scared of, wasn't in shape, he got in trouble repeatedly, claimed bankruptcy, all because no one could tell him "NO!" Sadly, as Sanders points out, we probably won't see a lot of "no men" advising many of our young players. It's so much more fun to say "YES!" Plus, you stay on the payroll.
"Our son endured so many injuries during the last seven years of his life, most required surgery. The last one was the scariest to him, in August of 2010, he ruptured a disc in his spine, he lost the feeling in his left foot. We were certain his career was over. But like every time before, he battled back, he knew the team needed him on the field where only the most elite do battle. It is with much sadness, we look back & see Austin had recently turned to other methods of managing his pain. Methods that we hope if others are employing, they will see this tragic accident as a message & think about the consequences. Our greatest regret is Austin did not feel he could share his pain with those who loved him, he chose to suffer in silence."
Tough to read. As someone who depends on five Hydrocodone a day to get thru life between cortisone injections, I can tell you honestly, these meds are serious business, having five different drugs in your body at once is unthinkable to me. The side effects alone can cause their own misery, but it's still better than attempting to endure such horrific pain without the meds. It's such a waste when a young life is snuffed out because of drugs, be it cocaine, meth, heroin or legal prescriptions. Each of them not only breaks down things in your nervous system but can cause permanent damage to a variety of organs including the brain. But it's that constant pain that can cause people desperate for relief to take one more pill than they should or add another med a buddy is taking. I could be accused of making too much of this story, but ask the Box family if it's too big a deal. Ask any family member who has lost a loved one to drugs, I bet they'll think this post should have gone further. If you know someone who might be using "painkillers" due to broken bones or surgeries, keep an eye on them. Things can go from bad to worse to fatal very quickly, especially for those using these very dangerous drugs for the 1st time.
Former Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach has released his new book "Swing Your Sword" & he wastes no time in going after the people he believes are responsible for his termination in November of 2009. Since there is so much material he & his attorneys have assembled for his lawsuit against the university & James, I will give you new stuff for the next 4-5 days. I thought from day one, the school's administration was bitter about being defeated in contract negotiations by Leach & were just looking for an excuse to get rid of him. Along came "The James Gang," ESPN college football analyst Craig James & his son, Tech wide receiver Adam James. In less than 48-hours James & his employer launched a "scorched earth" assault on Leach & he was fired. His $9 million lawsuit against Tech & James hasn't been decided, but I have the feeling Leach will receive a helluva lot of money from the defendants & shortly thereafter, will find another head coaching job. Here's today's entry from Leach's new book:
"Adam James was a kid who seemed like he had been given everything he wanted his whole life & acted like if things didn't go exactly how he wanted, then it was because someone was treating him unfairly or his failures were somebody else's fault. He was a selfish player on & off the field who was counter productive for our team & would be for any other team."
Graham Harrell, Tech starting QB 2006-2008
The negotiating regulars will return for today's NFL labor talks. The lawyers held down the fort Monday & Tuesday, dotting i's & crossing t's. Jerry Richardson, Jerry Jones, John Mara, Robert Kraft, Clark Hunt & Art Rooney will be on the owners side of the table & Dominique Foxworth, Sean Morey & Jeff Saturday will be present for the players. Team leaders DeMaurice Smith & Commissioner Roger Goodell will also be in the trenches. I was quite confident a few days ago, now, not so much.
Deion Sanders can rub people the wrong way at times, I've had that reaction to stuff "Primetime" has said in the past. But overall , I think Sanders is A, the best cover man I ever saw & B, he speaks the truth most of the time. He hit on a novel idea when he was asked about the young millionaires in today's NFL. "The hardest thing to do is get their attention, they think they know pretty much everything & when you add huge sums of cash to the equation, they can be nearly deaf to anyone speaking reasonably" Sanders said. They surround themselves with "yes men" put them on the payroll & then always get the same answer to every question...."YES!" Sanders added "what they really need is a "no man." Someone who will look them straight in the eye & say "NO!" But as Sanders went on to say, "even then there's no guarantee they'll listen to anyone who disagrees with them." He said he had to cut the umbilical cord with Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant. According to Sanders, the Cowboy coaching staff is even more concerned with Bryant's erratic behavior than he was "I had to separate myself from him, there was more to it than people know." Bryant was ruled ineligible by the NCAA in 2009 after lying to investigators about a luncheon at Sanders' Dallas-area home. Some believe Sanders was steering the WR prospect to his agent, Eugene Parker, which was never proved. Regardless, Sanders was prepping Bryant for the NFL Scouting Combine & the Draft when he suddenly severed their relationship. "Too many yes men in his ear, they were deafening" Sanders said. I think Deion is 100% correct on his point. I've watched "yes men" destroy one athlete after another when a strong "no man" might have saved them. Anyone have a shred of a doubt that Mike Tyson would have fared better had he stayed with Bill Cayton, Cus D'Amato & Kevin Rooney? As soon as he went with Don King & his 3-ring circus, Tyson was a different fighter. He was no longer the guy everyone was scared of, wasn't in shape, he got in trouble repeatedly, claimed bankruptcy, all because no one could tell him "NO!" Sadly, as Sanders points out, we probably won't see a lot of "no men" advising many of our young players. It's so much more fun to say "YES!" Plus, you stay on the payroll.
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