All student athletes should mourn the death of Cornell lacrosse player George Baiordi and cringe at the ludicrous comment by Penn State men's lacrosse assistant coach Lars Tiffany. Coach Tiffany, Baiordi's death isn't frustrating -- it's nothing short of tragic. Being a former lacrosse player for more than a decade, I know well the notion that blocking shots is a noble pursuit, an indicator of how much a teammate is willing to sacrifice for the success of the team. In this case, the player sacrificed his life. This incident in Ithaca strikes a blow to the game that will have lasting repercussions, and to hear a member of Penn State's coaching staff say, "When something you teach is exposed that you could die, it's frustrating. It's sad, but it's frustrating," it sickens me.

Reading Tiffany's lamentation about the frustration a barrier to teaching kids to abandon their own instincts about self-preservation is embarrassing. I know the game. I know the "code." We should all admonish Tiffany for his remarks and send both our condolences and apologies to Cornell University and to the Baiordi family.