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Remember the Titan PDF Print E-mail

Steve Mcnair

by MARK GREY

7.9.09

On July 4th, football fans all across the country were shocked to hear the news that a former MVP had been killed at the young age of 36.  As if news of Steve McNair’s death wasn‘t surprsing enough, the way he died was the biggest surprise of all.  As information continued to leak about his death, questions started to rise about his life.  The entire sports world is now wondering how McNair should be remembered. The answer is simple. He should be remembered for what he was: a Titan.

Webster’s defines a titan as “one that is gigantic in size or power: one that stands out for greatness of achievement, one with influence.”  What better word to describe one of the toughest quarterbacks in NFL history? On the field, they didn’t make them any tougher than Air McNair, but he always had a soft spot in his heart for his community.  When he wasn’t busy giving opposing defenses nightmares, McNair was giving young athletes hope.  Thanks to the great success McNair had, every kid at every small and historically black college believed he had a shot at making it to the NFL.

As the details of the way McNair was killed began to unravel, many fans and writers were shocked. They thought they knew him; Air McNair would never do those things.  My question to all that share those thoughts is: what made you think you knew him?  Was it because you watched him every Sunday for 13 years?  Was it because you saw him in a United Way commercial helping in the community?  Was it because he spoke so well and carried himself with such class off the field?  Was it all the money he raised for the Katrina victims? Was it the high level of respect every player in the NFL had for him?  Whatever your reason was, the lesson that needs to be learned is that we don’t know any of these athletes.

In today’s media-crazy world, everyone likes to judge others. Consequently, we hastily and unncesssarily label everyone.  The media and the fans have divided these athletes into groups with some players labeled "good guys" and others labeled "bad guys." All week, everyone has been asking how this could happen. After all, McNair was one of the good guys. Remember when everyone claimed that there was no way Rafael Pameiro would use steroids because we knew him? Did we?  What about, “Manny is just being Manny.  He wouldn’t cheat.  He’s such an easy going guy.”  Really?  It’s time people start realizing how little we really know about these athletes and understand that they have private lives just like everyone else.

Just last year, fans all over were shocked to hear that Marvin Harrison was involved with a shooting. Everyone was confused because Marvin was one of the "good guys." The truth is, what does anyone really know about Marvin Harrison?  We know he is a great football player and that’s it.  That’s all we really need to know.  In today’s society, we look to these athletes to be perfect and then try to bash them when we find out they are human just like everybody else.  We want them to be great athletes, great business men, great role models, and well-educated pillars of the community. Yet most of us don’t meet even one of those standards.  We need to judge them only for what they are: great athletes.  We need to stop making character judgments about people we have never met.  We need to do away with these "bad guy/good guy" labels because at the end of the day, we have no idea who they are or what kind of private lives they live.

Now that McNair has passed, people are wondering if the way he died will tarnish his legacy. The way he died should have nothing to do with his legacy.  Steve McNair’s legend is that he was a great NFL quarterback who did a lot of work for his community and helped open doors for other black quarterbacks.  Period.  If he was a marriage counselor, then maybe his legacy would be tarnished. However, he was a football player. McNair’s private life should be just that: private. It should not be something for everyone else to judge him by.  If McNair had lived to be 100 years old would football fans all over remember him as Steve McNair, the great husband?  Of course not.  He would be remembered as a great football player who was quite charitable and that’s what he should be remembered as now.    

There is so much information about McNair’s death that we will never know, so it is only fair that we remember him and his life by what we do know.  We know that he was a great player who played the game with passion and heart.  We know that he was a leader on the field who played through injury after injury to help lead his team to victory.  We know he was a league MVP who gave young black quarterbacks all over the country hope.  With such a long list of accomplishments in life, it would be a shame to remember him by what he didn’t do.  So here’s to remembering Steve McNair for what he was and always will be: a Titan.
Comments
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Anonymous   |2009-07-15 19:40:35
Anonymous – Your comment is provoking, and not to be disrespectful, but you
think like a child. ½ of all married men cheat for one reason or another. Do you
know if his wife even cared? In this tragedy his children are fatherless not
because he cheated, but because of a lack of good judgment of character, a folly
we all make from time to time. If cheating on your wife was punishable by death,
every man I know would be dead…Get real!
Stebo   |2009-07-15 12:13:07
Great article.
Coltkiller   |2009-07-15 12:10:13
To the people who say this will 'tarnish' or 'ruin' McNair's legacy, I ask you
this: How often do you hear Ray Lewis spoke of as a murderer (allegedly) who got
off free? How often do you think of Brett Favre as a pill addict and a slouch?
How often do you hear of Marvin Harrison as a gang banger who gets involved in
shootings? You don't. And I understand that two of those examples occurred
before the legacy of that player was made, but the fact remains: 20 years from
now people will speak of McNair as a great QB and a tough SOB. The fact that he
died in such a terrible manor will probably be mentioned, but he will be
remembered as a Quaterback and a Titan. Great article by the way
Anonymous   |2009-07-15 12:06:56
It wasn't how he died which gives him the * for me in the history of great
football players, it was the result; 4 fatherless children that lost their dad
because he cheated, that is the real sad part. His children are probably the
ones who miss him the most but if my dad cheated on my mom and then died in
result, I would be pretty pissed at him for making that decision. People now
will remember Michael Vick for what he did, I say leaving 4 children fatherless
is up there with dog fighting.

In Steves defense, the girl snapped and I
guess from what I have heard he could not have seen that coming. However, from
first glance through my eyes what he did should leave a mark on what he
accomplished as the football player we knew him as.

I agree with most of
this article but to say his death should not affect his legacy is a bit of a
stretch for me.
Emanuela   |2009-07-14 01:13:32
Keep it up with the controversial topics. You attack what many writers shy away
from.
Amanda   |2009-07-13 21:21:51
This is a great one we were discussing this whole story all week and im so happy
to see that everyone who commented loved it. Good job again really hit it.
Anonymous   |2009-07-13 08:30:59
Awesome article...bringing back the focus where it should be on this young man's
talents and accomplishments in life. May God continues to be with his wife and
boys and with the young lady's life also.
T.R   |2009-07-12 22:22:36
Outstanding article!!! People have to come to the realization that,
professional athletes are only human!! They too, make bad decisions and make
mistakes. The only difference is they make MUCH more money than the average
person! R.I.P Steve "Air" McNair....the TITAN!
Anonymous   |2009-07-12 19:21:04
This was great! It's funny because in his life I only knew him as Steve McNair
the football player, the Titan. In his death, I am learning that he was
married, he had a girlfriend and that she shot him. Does it make me think of
him any less as a football player? Not at all. Did it surprise me that he had
a couple of girlfriends? No, it was expected. Does it make me think he picked
the wrong girl to promise the world to? Absolutely. But hey he was great at
his job and that's all that really matters! R.I.P.
RIP   |2009-07-12 11:19:07
This was a good article, I've been trying to say the exact same thing.

We
don't know all of the facts, therefore we shouldn't judge.

McNair's marriage
was a private matter between his wife and him. He may have been a cheater, or he
may have had an open relatonship with his wife, we don't really know and never
will.

McNair was a great QB, that's how I'll remember him.

RIP AIR
Clouden   |2009-07-10 21:19:36
Great job again!! True to your mission statement.
Remember the accomplishments
of this Titan and not what he didn't do.
C. Max   |2009-07-10 12:59:29
BOOM! I'm so glad you wrote this. This is a reality check well-needed for
everyone including myself. I cant help but to think about Michael Jackson and
how he was ridiculed and persecuted about his private life when we knew NOTHING
about it or him. Same for McNair--he is famous for his athletic ability and the
fact that he used that to make a difference in the world. The same as Michael
and his music. And I think in both cases its such a shame that even in death a
person's monumental contribution to society can fall by the wayside in exchange
for scandal and a good headline. Way to step out of the box and be different
Mark--this perspective is fresh, its real and its what we the "fans"
need to be told and reminded of from time to time...and it captures what
Player's Voice is all about--the sports, not the scandal. You nailed this one.
GREAT job!!
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