Ex-BYU trainer surrounded by Texas Tech controversy

If you are Steve Pincock, the past two weeks have been everything you didn't sign up for with Texas Tech firing head coach Mike Leach.

A former trainer at BYU, Pincock's job as the head football trainer with the Red Raiders is to heal players so they can return to the field. This work doesn't entail your name being spread across the World Wide Web, the New York Times, every other major newspaper nationwide and ESPN, the alleged world leader in sports.

Pincock, a humble, quiet workhorse of a man, is a former football player at Ricks College. A returned LDS missionary from Tacoma, Wash., Pincock is one of those people you build stuff around because you can lean on him. He's a make-no-waves type of guy. He'd much rather do his job away from the bright lights and he's never sought out publicity of any kind.

But just in time for Christmas, Pincock found himself smack dab in the middle of an ego-laced, lawyer-led, publicity fight between his employer, a player and the head football coach.

What to do? Allegations surfaced last week that Leach ordered Texas Tech receiver Adam James to a dark shed after he suffered a concussion. The administration, at odds with Leach, used this and his refusal to apologize as grounds for dismissal with cause. The sports world peeked in this soap opera drama at every twist and turn as Texas Tech fired Leach the day before it was to pay him an $800,000 bonus.

It was all-out war.

Not surprisingly, ESPN was front and center in coverage. An employee, on-air-talent Craig James, was the father of the receiver in this case.

As it turned out, those who represent Leach had Pincock give a statement and they raced to get it publicized. In this statement, Pincock contradicted James, who sources said was locked in an electrical closet and forced to stand for hours. James was not in an electrical closet, he was monitored by trainers and slept, walked and ate ice, said Pincock.

The administration, which took an affidavit from Pincock on Dec. 21, had him sign it Jan. 1 and then rushed to release its contents to the media before the bowl game on Saturday. In this sworn document, Pincock said he disagreed with the treatment (isolation) ordered by Leach.

Ping-pong ball, meet paddle.

"Steve Pincock is one of the most honest people I know, not just from among athletic trainers," said former BYU head trainer George Curtis over the weekend. "If Steve said it, you can take it to the bank."