Basketball Star Tyler Smith, Another Disgraced Athlete at the University of Tennessee

Former University of Tennessee basketball player, Tyler Smith, has become yet another disgraced athlete. Fair or not, athletes are often scrutinized because of their occupation, and celebrity like status. We look at these players with admiration, and marvel at their abilities. When human behavior begins to show through the superstar façade, we are disappointed and puzzled by their inability to appreciate the gift they have.

Tyler Smith could have left for the NBA after last season, but decided to return to the University of Tennessee for his senior year. This season, he was averaging 11.7 points, and 4.7 rebounds per game, and led the team with 144 assists and 17 steals. Failing to learn a lesson from the arrested players on the University of Tennessee football team, Smith found himself in similar trouble. As the recruiting process begins, will Tennessee coaches face parents hesitant to allow their children to enroll in a school that's made the news for all the wrong reasons?

I wish I could ask the former Tennessee basketball star why he acted in a manner that would jeopardize his future. Did Smith believe he was immune to the laws? Sadly it probably comes down to a young man who didn't think before he acted. I don't believe Tyler Smith is a bad person. I believe the young man made a horrible decision.

Smith may still find a way to the NBA, but the road will be filled with obstacles. If a player can't stay out of trouble in college, what happens when he enters the NBA? With money and freedom, can a troubled college player resist destructive behavior in the NBA? What team will take a chance on a player with off the court issues? Smith will most likely make it to the NBA next year, how long he stays there will be up to him.

You hope Smith has learned a lesson. He's responsible for his actions, and his bad decisions will have consequences, one of them being, the end of his college basketball career. The University of Tennessee basketball team has moved on without Tyler, earning an impressive win over #1 ranked Kansas. Meanwhile, Tyler Smith wants the public to know he's not a bad person. "My recent actions do not reflect who I am, and I can only hope that what I do in the future can make everyone believe in me again." Smith is saying the right things, but actions speak louder then words.

Sources:
http://news.aol.com/article/tennessee-dismisses-tyler-smith/847856?flv=1

http://www.fanhouse.com/news/main/tennessee-dismisses-tyler-smith/838089?flv=