Revisiting the McNair Tragedy

As the investigation into the death of Steve McNair continues, more and more facts about the last few months of his life are being brought into the public light. His death, as tragic as it was, has become the talk of sports radio. Everyone has their own opinion about what was going on, and why this happened, and why that happened. Quite frankly, we may never know exactly why things ended the way that they did on that fateful July 4th night. However, it's looking more and more like the facts are pointing towards a homicide and suicide. Just today, police confirmed that Kazemi actually bought the gun on Thursday from a private seller. We have learned that McNair and Kazemi were "dating" for the last few months and had even spent time together on vacation. All information indicates that their short love affair somehow took a tragic twist. Somewhere, something, went horribly wrong. Many people have told stories about how McNair was a caring, loving husband, about how he was a great father, and a superb member of the Nashville community. They reminisce about his work in the community and his incredible play on the field. And from everything that I have read and seen on television, McNair was all of those things and much much more. However, the lives of our sports heroes are not ultimately lived through the television screen or through the newspaper. They are lived just like everyone else's. As much as we want these heroes to be perfect, they rarely are. Just when we think we understand the character of man's heart, we are let down again and again. Unfortunately, all of McNair's good deeds will now be supplanted the mysterious end of his life. People will question his ability as a husband, a father, and a role model, and perhaps rightly so. A person with his fortune, fame, and power, could have written a much better ending to his final story. Yet, he chose to put himself in a situation that cost him his life. So let his life be a reminder to us all, that none of us are perfect and that we are all human. We will make mistakes, and we will ultimately deal with our consequences. No matter how green the grass is on the other side of the road, no matter how pretty the rose is just out of our reach, there is always a price to be paid for the shortcomings of our lives. It is not my place, nor anyone else's, to judge the life of a man. His judgement will come, and so will ours, all in due time.