Pure tragedy in Miami. I don't think it has just been athletes that are victims to violent crimes they just make more news. They are people just like you and me. It is a tragedy anytime a 24 year old passes away in such a manner. Just watch the news and you will see others that aren't athletes almost every day that are victims to these horrific crimes.

Sherman might be a great fit for A&M. Pete Carroll had no college head coaching experience before going to USC. I wouldn't put too much stock in the fact that he hasn't recruited the new student-athletes. I would be worried if he hired a staff that hasn't. He won't be the one who does all the leg work, leave that up to the army of assistants. But should have A&M opened up their search more for a more diverse pool of candidates? Sure. That has really been an emphasis in college football.

Texas A&M's hasty hiring of Mike Sherman should disgust administrators across the nation. I'm not saying just because Sherman was hired so quickly he won't be a great coach for the Aggies; however, was he really the best candidate for the position? The NCAA and the membership have made positive strides to make sure qualified individuals are coaching and mentoring our student-athletes. But how do you know if someone is qualified when no one else was interviewed. Sherman's hiring proves that the "good boys club" still exists. How else can A&M justify their decision to hire? I bet if we hit the rewind button and went back to the candidate pool, I bet that with some of the successful NCAA coaches already out there, a less ignorant choice would have been made.

Sean Taylor is casting a national spotlight on a problem that has been in existence for a while in black communities across the nation.

You can only hope that this tragedy will provide a miracle in the life of an athlete tied to less than favorable circumstances, or a regular person trapped in the same cycle.

The Mike and the Mad Dog Show on WFAN offered a considerable amount of time to the Sean Taylor tragedy.

Citing several sources, they offered the opinion that too many successful young athletes fail to break away from the culture in which they were raised. Having achieved considerable financial success by making the pro ranks, these young men [and it is largely male athletes who fall victim to violence] remain in too close contact with the streets that were their origins.

They acquire sycophants, hangers-on, who not only bleed them for money, but far too often contribute to bleeding them of their lives.

Addressing the expectations he had of his players, my son's college coach addressed the team every year: "Don't embarrass your family. Don't embarrass your teammates. Don't embarrass the program. Don't embarrass the university."
The implication was clear; "doing stupid" could result in grave consequences.

Ultimately, every individual is certainly responsible for his or her own lifestyle. But there comes into question here whether the colleges, universities and NCAA are doing enough to redirect the thinking of student-athletes to the new social environment their academic achievement [and sometimes athletic prowess] will let them gain access.

While I'm sure there are some programs in place at every level, perhaps the scope of such efforts should be revisited.

Full disclosure first: I am an Aggie. But, I think that everyone is way off the mark regarding the hiring of Mike Sherman at Texas A&M. The only AD in the world that doesn't have a short list of replacements for each and every one of his/her coaches is the one who will be fired next week for incompetence. I have no doubt that Bill Byrne had a list of candidates and had Sherman ranked number one on his wish list. Why would you interview a number of people that you have no intention of hiring just to interview them? That does a disservice to both the institution and the people involved. As for the "good boys club" Christina mentions (I assume she means "good old boys club") A&M hired outside of the circle of coaches who had A&M ties once, and he was a disaster named Franchione. That hire predated Bill Byrne's tenure and he was not about to make the same mistake his predecessors did.