Pete Thamel says Texas Tech 'tipped their hand' in Mark Adams suspension

Following the suspension of Texas Tech basketball coach Mark Adams, ESPN’s Pete Thamel explained what the school’s official statement means. According to Thamel, the language the school used while explaining their decision to suspend Adams reveals that the school could be looking to fire him outright.

Pete Thamel on Mark Adams’ suspension

The ESPN college sports insider explained his belief that the Red Raiders could be moving on from Adams while speaking on Outside The Lines.

“If you look at the language the university used, in some ways I think they tipped their hand,” said Thamel. “They went very detailed into what Adams did, which, if there was a pathway for him to come back you could have just said he’s suspended pending an investigation. They used the word race; they used the word slavery from the biblical reference that Adams claimed to be using.

“I really think it shows that Tech is taking this, obviously, very seriously. They publicly suspended him; they obviously could have done so privately. And those drastic steps and the way they announced them, seem to at least offer a hint into their intentions.”

Adams was suspended by the school after making a comment that the school described as “inappropriate, unacceptable and racially insensitive” in their statement. Adams reportedly told a player that he should be more receptive to coaching by following a Bible verse that speaks about “workers, teachers, parents, and slaves serving their masters.“

After learning that the player was upset about the Bible verse used to coach him, Adams apologized to the team. From there, the school issued a suspension to the coach while they investigated the matter thoroughly.

Although Thamel didn’t provide any additional information regarding the suspension and Texas Tech’s investigation, his comments make it clear that he feels the school is progressing towards a harsher punishment for the coach. As Thamel explained, the school made his suspension public in a clear way, as well as quoting the words “race” and “slavery” in their reprimand of the coach instead of a more general wording.