Texas A&M got rid of Jimbo Fisher in the middle of the 2023 season when they were struggling with a 6-4 record. Overall, a 45-25 record, Fisher’s tenure saw hits and misses. Among the hits was their #5 national ranking in the COVID season. The program really believed in the head coach. So much so that they gave him a 10-year contract worth $95 million. That didn’t work out, and in comes Mike Elko, a coach who served as Fisher’s DC from 2018 to 21.

The first season? Well, if you had asked after the first 7 games, it was great. A 6-1 record. 4-0 in SEC. In the next 6 games, the Aggies managed just 2 wins. Overall? An 8-5. Now, in his second year at Kyle Field, Mike Elko is looking to turn things around. Before he could do that, the program got marred in an unnecessary controversy.

College football controversies always find their way to the top of the headlines. Being a sports star in today’s world comes with a lot of responsibility. The paps and the fans are always watching your moves. Especially when you are in front of the camera. Aggies’ junior defensive tackle DJ Hicks forgot that responsibility this week. None of it was a media creation. Hicks chose to say it. In hindsight, what was he thinking?

It started when the DT was asked how the defense would cope with losing three of its stars to the NFL draft. Shemar Turner, Shemar Stewart, and Nic Scourton, the warriors in the Aggies’ defense, have moved to the pros. For Hicks, it is about the mindset and work ethic. All good till now! It was what he said next that became an issue. “So, I think we still are trying to go through the model, still trying to stay with our motto with ‘CBO.’”

CBO? What is CBO? Don’t worry. You don’t have to Google. Hicks helped us with the answer. “In simple terms, choke a woman out. Let’s say that.” In simple terms, first and foremost, let’s not say that. Let’s not even believe in that.

Naturally, there’s backlash. RJ Young, a college football analyst, delves into the Texas A&M controversy. “That defensive line Mike Elko got, it’s a unit. You got to deal with them. But it’s one of these things where the motto shouldn’t be the motto, my guys. You don’t need to go that hard. Matter of fact, you probably shouldn’t go that hard given recent history with Texas A&M,” Young said.

College football and professional sports, to a large extent, have had a troubling history of athletes indulging in domestic violence. Hicks doesn’t even have to consider the whole sport. Just look at the Aggies. In 2020, former A&M RB Vernon Jackson was convicted on the charges of assault, family violence, and strangulation. And that’s just in the recent memory.

RJ Young also highlighted a deeper issue among college football athletes. A strange phenomenon where they chase the gangster persona. “This comes out of a culture in college football that is one where everybody wants to go to Death Row… Everybody wants to quote Tupac saying ‘bomb first.’ Nobody was in there going, “Hey, should you read a book?” And by the way, what happened to Tupac?” Tupac succumbed to injuries he sustained when he was shot four times in a drive-by shooting incident.

What did Mike Elko say about Hicks’ comments?

DJ Hicks’ comments were, to be honest, disappointing. Imagine a head coach in the middle of spring practice addressing these comments. That disappointment showed on Elko’s face when he was asked by the media about the “CBO” motto.

The head coach said that it was “absolutely ridiculous that was stated.” He continued, “It’s conveying something that shouldn’t be conveyed. So, we’ll get that handled and addressed.” 

In some ways, Mike Elko played it like a professional. He could have easily thrown his player under the bus, and nobody would have criticized him for that. You can’t put your program on the line with such comments. However, Elko, in some way, kept it in-house. We may never know how it would be addressed internally. However, one thing is for sure. You won’t hear an Aggie ever saying anything about that motto ever again.

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