Tragic Deaths at Auburn a Social Problem and Not About Football

The recent tragedy at Auburn has been awful, every detail as shown by the New York Times is just awful. Young people have lost their lives. Someone's son. Someone's brother. Someone's boyfriend. Gone. No longer existing. All over a petty disagreement. Another person, Desmonte Leonard, will have his life ruined in another way, he's the suspect and if found guilty, he's going to jail; for a long time.

It is tragic. It is sad. It is senseless at the true core of things. As my colleague Barrett Sallee points out, this is not about Auburn football. If you're an Alabama or a Georgia or a Big Ten fan that wants to wag your finger, you're sad. This is about life and death and about an incident that could occur anywhere. It shouldn't make you puff your chest out and say, "see, it didn't happen here." It should make you weep for the very fibers of the society we live in.

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The saddest thing is there are people out there who don't value their own life enough to not take another. That sucks about the shooting

— Michael Felder (@InTheBleachers) June 10, 2012"

Everyday the bulk of us operate on the principle that "we're not going to get killed today." Yes, accidents happen but very few of us wake up thinking, "I have to avoid being shot in cold blood" or "I need to avoid a random spraying of bullets." It is sad, really sad when this happens. Whether it is ball players or honor students or random kids on the street.

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Whether it is normal people or ball players or honor students; it always sucks. Always.

— Michael Felder (@InTheBleachers) June 10, 2012"

Let's focus on that instead of trying to make this a Gene Chizik, Auburn football, Auburn University, Alabama the state or the south in general problem. Getting killed over a chick is not a regional issue, it is a greater society problem where folks just don't understand the value of life. Their own life or the life of others.

Take this event for what it is. This isn't a chance to put down Auburn or the SEC; this is a moment where we need to take inventory of what matters. Football matters so much less when we're talking about lives. That's what we need to remember.