This is an accepted version of this page Jesse Craig James (born January 2, 1961) is an American former professional football player and sports commentator.

[3] When he was in the first grade, his parents divorced and he moved with his mother and brother (former Major League Baseball player Chris James) to Pasadena, Texas.

[5] James was heavily recruited out of high school and decided to attend Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.

[6] Parade's national high school running back of the year, Eric Dickerson, as well as a large number of blue-chip recruits, also signed with SMU in 1979.

[8] James played on the 1981 SMU team that won the Southwest Conference title while being on NCAA probation as a result of recruiting violations dating back to the mid-1970s.

He was a major factor in the Patriots' 31–14 upset win over the Miami Dolphins in the AFC title game, rushing for a career postseason high of 105 yards.

[18] After his retirement from play in 1989, James went on to become a radio analyst for SMU college football games, then was the sports anchor for KDFW-TV.

"[20][21] James is a voter in the AP college football poll, and has received some attention and criticism for his reported tendency to award low votes to teams from outside the Power Five conferences, such as Boise State and TCU.

[25] Additionally, The Dallas Morning News reported that Fox Sports officials were upset with statements against same-sex marriage that James had made during his Senate run.

[26] On February 25, 2014, the First Liberty Institute filed suit on James' behalf against Fox, claiming that he was fired for his religious beliefs.

"[28] James' son Adam was the center of a controversy that resulted in Texas Tech suspending, and later firing, head football coach Mike Leach shortly before the 2010 Alamo Bowl.

In light of the allegations, ESPN removed Craig James from announcing the Alamo Bowl, replacing him with Bob Davie.

[29][30][31][32][33] In a lawsuit filed by Leach against Texas Tech, he alleges that Adam "voluntarily placed himself into the electrical closet and apparently took pictures with his phone camera."

[36] In an interview with WFAA-TV in Dallas, James revealed that he was interested in getting involved in politics as a member of the Republican Party.

James is a self-described conservative and stated that government intervention in business and health care were his main concerns.

[37] On December 19, 2011, James announced that he would run for the United States Senate as a Republican in 2012 for the seat being vacated by Kay Bailey Hutchison.