The outpouring of kindness regarding the relief effort for families stricken by Hurricane Katrina has been unbelievable.

All you have to do is just look in your own backyard here in Greenville where our citizens have been giving not only of their money, but time and even their homes to the evacuees of southern Mississippi and Louisiana.

That act of kindness has spilled over into the sports world, too.

Major League Baseball, the National Hockey League, the National Football League and the National Basketball Association all have pledged to donate up to $1 million each. The Southeastern Conference has pledged $1 million for the effort.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

The University of Tennessee sold "One Heartbeat" T-shirts at Saturday's game with UAB for $15 a piece with all of the proceeds going to the American Red Cross.

Florida's game with Wyoming was a pay-per-view event, and its athletic department agreed to donate all of the proceeds from the pay-per-view to the Red Cross. The university estimated that donation to be about $75,000.

The giving goes beyond just organizations. Players like Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre and Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair, who are from the southern Mississippi area, also have pledged assistance by way of cash and goods.

But there is one organization that stands out and for its large contribution.

The NCAA has yet to pledge any assistance. Not one dime from the NCAA, which in 1999 inked a $6 billion deal with CBS Sports for broadcast rights for of the NCAA men's basketball tournament through 2011.

With money like that coming in, you would think that an organization like the NCAA would be able to share in giving to the relief effort.

But that's not the case.

In fact the only thing the NCAA has given is a statement.

&uot;Our hearts go out to all the victims of Hurricane Katrina. We commend and thank all of the colleges, universities and conferences which already stepped forward to provide support and aid."

For those of you whose college teams have been persecuted by the NCAA, which would include every school in the SEC except Vanderbilt, this should not come as a surprise to you.

This just goes to show there is something awfully wrong with the NCAA. Even in a time of tragedy, the NCAA sits on its hands and watches while its member schools go out of their way to give until it hurts.

Just when the NCAA goes out of its way to do something completely stupid, it tops itself with another blunder.

The best gift that could be given by the NCAA right now would be that its president, Myles Brand, tender his resignation.

Kevin Taylor is sports editor of The Greenville Advocate. Call (334) 382-3111 ext. 122 or e-mail kevin.taylor@greenvilleadvocate.com.