As you may have heard, former ESPN football analyst Craig James is running for US senate. James originally rose to national prominence as a star running back for Southern Methodist during the years it was illegally paying athletes under the table, a practice that eventually made SMU the only football program to ever receive the NCAA’s infamous death penalty.
Unfortunately for James the candidate, he now finds himself embroiled in a controversy that has gone viral. Just Google “Craig James killed five hookers” and you’ll see what I mean. The story has even infiltrated a site dedicated to soliciting donations for James, with one donor insinuating a poem with a clever acrostic calling James a “hooker killer.” (Note the first letters in each line of the “Ramzy” item in the second screen grab below.)
Some are chalking the story up to something called a “Google bomb,” which sources describe as a sort of search engine hijacking. To see an especially successful example, go to Google and search for “Santorum.” NSFW, indeed.
Still, I cannot find any indication that the James campaign has so far denied the charge, nor do I find any official comment as to whether James consorted with prostitutes, alive or dead.
Caution is urged, as this story is potentially a hoax, but voters are always encouraged to fully inform themselves, especially in an age so rife with partisan media-generated controversy. Witness the ongoing battle over whether evolution is factual or merely a theory, which plays out in debates over whether or not to teach creation science in schools. Or the raging conflict over climate change – is it real or is it the product of a media-driven liberal agenda? And what about President Barack Obama’s nationality? Many remain unconvinced that he was born in the United States. It can be difficult to know what sources to trust, so the only reasonable recourse is to gather and consider critically as much information as possible. Nor should we rush to judgment, one way or another. The stakes are simply too high, and if it takes months, even years, to reach a definitive understanding of the events surrounding the James/hooker killer mystery, it’s time well spent.
The citizens of the state of Texas should demand that James, who seeks one of the highest offices in the nation, address these allegations forthrightly, making available all documents that might potentially be relevant to the allegation, even if such documentation proves personally embarrassing.
As we do not currently have before us sufficient evidence to rule out the possibility that James is a serial murderer, it seems appropriate to call for more data and to initiate a vigorous public debate on the issue. Information is the lifeblood of participatory democracy, and voters are sometimes justified in their reservations regarding candidates who seem elusive about their personal and professional pasts.
Thanks to Frank Balsinger for the screen shots of the donation site shown above.
Categories: Crime/Corruption, Funny, Politics/Law/Government
Progressive Culture | Scholars & Rogues 
All I know is that I can’t vouch for the veracity of the alleged allegations allegedly alleged of him, but I can attest that I did direct my browser to the aforementioned website. I then took screenshots of what was rendered by my browser. The only image editing technique used was image cropping. I then did verily transmit those images I truly found on the Internet. So help me on a stack of pancakes.
James certainly has some dodgy episodes in his past. He’s never commented on the SMU situation, which was the most egregious college cheating scandal in history. Nor has he been forthright in his involvement in the firing of Mike Leach to avoid paying him a bonus he’d already earned, a situation that is still being litigated. And my understanding is that prostitutes are often the victims of these sorts of crimes and that many killers start very young. So until we know the truth and until the official police report is published with the names of the victims, the investigation of James, and the reasons for ruling him out (DNA? Alibis? Eye witnesses?) we have to treat this very seriously. ESPN has been very vocal in its defense of James in the Mike Leach episode. Will they vigorously investigate as they did Sandusky and FIne or will they bury the hooker story? If the last, are they becoming the new Fox news?
There are plenty of reasons to hate this guy besides the whole “5 hookers” things. Here’s a step by step guide:
http://www.ramblingbeachcat.com/2011/12/justified-sports-hatred-craig-james.html
@Otherwise: Read the article I just posted–there is proof that he did take money at SMU.
Is it true that Craig James killed 5 hookers at SMU? I didn’t know that was allowed. Shouldn’t he be disqualified for running for office if he indeed killed 5 FIVE hookers at SMU? Why did he kill them anyway. I believe that he is innocent until proven guilty of killing the 5 hookers but if Craig James really did kill those 5 hookers at SMU, maybe it was because of the death penalty thing… or maybe Craig James just doesn’t like hookers… or at least 5 hookers. Anyway I sure do hope that Craig James comes out and states whether he killed those 5 precious hookers at SMU
My concern is that to Texans killing five prostitutes might be an asset for a candidate.
I’ve heard it is a rumor that Craig James killed five hookers while attending SMU. But I’ve heard some swear that Craig James killed five hookers while attending SMU. However, I seriously doubt that it is true that Craig James killed five hookers while attending SMU. But who knows, it is possible that Craig James killed five hookers while attending SMU. Just curious…. do you think Craig James killed five hookers while attending SMU? It sure would be sad if Craig James killed five hookers while attending SMU.
Hmmm. An SEO troll….