ESPN college football analyst Craig James has departed the network to run for the United States Senate.
In a statement released Monday, ESPN announced that James will no longer work for the network after his decision to pursue the U.S. Senate seat of the retiring Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-TX).
James was in his second stint with ESPN, having rejoined the network in 2003. He originally worked for the network from 1991 to 1996, before moving to CBS in a variety of roles from 1996 to 2002.
James had become one of the most controversial broadcasters in sports, owing primarily to a 2009 incident involving his son Adam James and Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach.
In the wake of the incident, Leach was fired from Texas Tech and filed suit against ESPN over the network’s reporting of the story. ESPN.com writer Bruce Feldman ended his association with the network in tumultuous fashion earlier this year after executives took issue with him co-authoring a book with Leach that was critical of the network’s coverage.
(ESPN statement from Houston Chronicle)
