A moment of silence, please, for the great American tragedy that unfolded in a New York courtroom this past week.
Capitulating to his fate amid far less hoopla than the headlines that surrounded his arrest, alongside the arrests of three other Division I assistant coaches, in the FBI's NCAA basketball corruption probe more than 15 months ago, former USC assistant Tony Bland accepted a plea for his part in the sordid affair.
Bland admitted to taking a $4,100 cash payment in July 2017 in order to steer particular USC players to specific managers and financial advisors. Afterward his lawyer, Jeffrey Lichtman, told reporters, "It's a tragic, tragic day.