Steve McNair (1 Viewer)

[Matt Waldman]

R.I.P. Steve McNair

A few copy edit issues that need to be cleaned up, which I notified Clayton a few minutes ago (I wrote this just after I heard he passed). However, it shouldn't get in the way for reading now. As mentioned in the main thread, you may have qualms about his moral compass and that's fine. You may not care about Steve McNair in any way, shape or form. Understandable. This is purely and appreciation thread kicked off with my way of thanking him as a fan for enriching my experience of things football and non-football because of his approach to his profession.

 

[identikit]

So this is a letter to your unborn children?

 

[Dr. Octopus]

It was shocking news to me. McNair is/was one of my all time favorite players.

 

[Dancing Bear]

Matt,

I would say that you put together a fine essay concerning Steve McNair the football player, and for that I commend and thank you!

In using McNair to inspire either Liam or Rowan to achieve their goals and aspirations, I think that you must not omit the obvious nicks in McNair's armor. IMHO they need to be told that the character of a person is not defined solely by how they perform a handful of times in the spotlight, but by how they live each hour of each day.

My

 

[Matt Waldman]

Matt,I would say that you put together a fine essay concerning Steve McNair the football player, and for that I commend and thank you!In using McNair to inspire either Liam or Rowan to achieve their goals and aspirations, I think that you must not omit the obvious nicks in McNair's armor. IMHO they need to be told that the character of a person is not defined solely by how they perform a handful of times in the spotlight, but by how they live each hour of each day.My

Thank you and I agree completely. I also think McNair is an unfortunate (but fine) example of showing how people are flawed but you can still admire them for the good things they did. There are limits that I believe are reasonable to stay within. That F-1 guy Eccelstone (sp?) obviously didn't understand this when he talked about Hitler this weekend in the media. Certainly John Wayne Gacy might have had some redeeming qualities - not that I'd want to find out - however, I wouldn't use him or other obvious people who have done sick, horrible things as examples.However, personal relationships are difficult and private matters and as devastating as infidelity can be for a family, it doesn't take away from the pain of seeing a father or husband pass. It further complicates the matter for sure and I am very empathetic to McNair's family for what they are going through and the media onslaught that will continue because the details will be made very public. I would see this as a constructive lesson about the impact of infidelity on a family and the pain McNair unintentionally put his wife and sons through as a result of this. At the same time, I would not want to leave my children with the thought that he was a bad man. He was a human being and human beings are capable of great things but they also can make big mistakes that hurt others greatly. I expect his kids will be very angry with him at some point and it will be hard to express considering that they are mourning him, too. Horrible, horrible fate for McNair and his family.

 

[Dancing Bear]

Thank you and I agree completely. I also think McNair is an unfortunate (but fine) example of showing how people are flawed but you can still admire them for the good things they did. There are limits that I believe are reasonable to stay within. That F-1 guy Eccelstone (sp?) obviously didn't understand this when he talked about Hitler this weekend in the media. Certainly John Wayne Gacy might have had some redeeming qualities - not that I'd want to find out - however, I wouldn't use him or other obvious people who have done sick, horrible things as examples.However, personal relationships are difficult and private matters and as devastating as infidelity can be for a family, it doesn't take away from the pain of seeing a father or husband pass. It further complicates the matter for sure and I am very empathetic to McNair's family for what they are going through and the media onslaught that will continue because the details will be made very public. I would see this as a constructive lesson about the impact of infidelity on a family and the pain McNair unintentionally put his wife and sons through as a result of this. At the same time, I would not want to leave my children with the thought that he was a bad man. He was a human being and human beings are capable of great things but they also can make big mistakes that hurt others greatly. I expect his kids will be very angry with him at some point and it will be hard to express considering that they are mourning him, too. Horrible, horrible fate for McNair and his family.

 

[Sweet Love]

Matt,I would say that you put together a fine essay concerning Steve McNair the football player, and for that I commend and thank you!In using McNair to inspire either Liam or Rowan to achieve their goals and aspirations, I think that you must not omit the obvious nicks in McNair's armor. IMHO they need to be told that the character of a person is not defined solely by how they perform a handful of times in the spotlight, but by how they live each hour of each day.My

Thank you and I agree completely. I also think McNair is an unfortunate (but fine) example of showing how people are flawed but you can still admire them for the good things they did. There are limits that I believe are reasonable to stay within. That F-1 guy Eccelstone (sp?) obviously didn't understand this when he talked about Hitler this weekend in the media. Certainly John Wayne Gacy might have had some redeeming qualities - not that I'd want to find out - however, I wouldn't use him or other obvious people who have done sick, horrible things as examples.However, personal relationships are difficult and private matters and as devastating as infidelity can be for a family, it doesn't take away from the pain of seeing a father or husband pass. It further complicates the matter for sure and I am very empathetic to McNair's family for what they are going through and the media onslaught that will continue because the details will be made very public. I would see this as a constructive lesson about the impact of infidelity on a family and the pain McNair unintentionally put his wife and sons through as a result of this. At the same time, I would not want to leave my children with the thought that he was a bad man. He was a human being and human beings are capable of great things but they also can make big mistakes that hurt others greatly. I expect his kids will be very angry with him at some point and it will be hard to express considering that they are mourning him, too. Horrible, horrible fate for McNair and his family.

It is interesting that we think he had a "***** in his armour", but maybe he didn't. This may sound strange to many, but my parents almost divorced about 8 years ago...I was married at the time, still am, but it was based on another woman. My father took the high road explaining to a devasted me that he was wrong, but I could tell something else was there. Over the years I have come to find out that he and my mom were about to split when I was a very young child, but decided to stay together strictly for me...stupid, at the time I thought...but it was their decision. It only became an issue when my mom realized the "other woman" wanted my dad to leave my mom and that is when it hit the fan...not when he was with her, which I found out later had been going on for years (a kind of agreement between the two). As a married man with three kids seven and under, I can see how these types of relationships/understandings spawn. His wife may not have been into a "physical relationship" anymore and instead of high-tailing it, maybe there was an agreement between Steve and his wife that he could do what he wants on the sly as long as he remains a good provider, and good father to his boys. Pure speculation, but you never know. There are two sides to every story and Mechelle McNair, although going through a lot, will eventually have to answer the question whether she knew about this...and she has been pretty mum about the whole subject thus far (as have friends and family). To his credit, Peter King ended his interview on Sirius this morning with Eddie George asking the question whether he or Mechell knew about this relationship between the two deceased. You could tell he hated doing it, but again, asked a questions that will eventually be asked (if not already in private). Eddie deflected well, did not commit and it died pretty quickly. My guess is that this has been discussed "internally", but may not be ready for a public announcement (if ever).Again, we jump to conclusions so quickly (I did too), but after some good introspections, realized that he may not have done anything wrong.

 

[Matt Waldman]

Matt,I would say that you put together a fine essay concerning Steve McNair the football player, and for that I commend and thank you!In using McNair to inspire either Liam or Rowan to achieve their goals and aspirations, I think that you must not omit the obvious nicks in McNair's armor. IMHO they need to be told that the character of a person is not defined solely by how they perform a handful of times in the spotlight, but by how they live each hour of each day.My

Thank you and I agree completely. I also think McNair is an unfortunate (but fine) example of showing how people are flawed but you can still admire them for the good things they did. There are limits that I believe are reasonable to stay within. That F-1 guy Eccelstone (sp?) obviously didn't understand this when he talked about Hitler this weekend in the media. Certainly John Wayne Gacy might have had some redeeming qualities - not that I'd want to find out - however, I wouldn't use him or other obvious people who have done sick, horrible things as examples.However, personal relationships are difficult and private matters and as devastating as infidelity can be for a family, it doesn't take away from the pain of seeing a father or husband pass. It further complicates the matter for sure and I am very empathetic to McNair's family for what they are going through and the media onslaught that will continue because the details will be made very public. I would see this as a constructive lesson about the impact of infidelity on a family and the pain McNair unintentionally put his wife and sons through as a result of this. At the same time, I would not want to leave my children with the thought that he was a bad man. He was a human being and human beings are capable of great things but they also can make big mistakes that hurt others greatly. I expect his kids will be very angry with him at some point and it will be hard to express considering that they are mourning him, too. Horrible, horrible fate for McNair and his family.

It is interesting that we think he had a "***** in his armour", but maybe he didn't. This may sound strange to many, but my parents almost divorced about 8 years ago...I was married at the time, still am, but it was based on another woman. My father took the high road explaining to a devasted me that he was wrong, but I could tell something else was there. Over the years I have come to find out that he and my mom were about to split when I was a very young child, but decided to stay together strictly for me...stupid, at the time I thought...but it was their decision. It only became an issue when my mom realized the "other woman" wanted my dad to leave my mom and that is when it hit the fan...not when he was with her, which I found out later had been going on for years (a kind of agreement between the two). As a married man with three kids seven and under, I can see how these types of relationships/understandings spawn. His wife may not have been into a "physical relationship" anymore and instead of high-tailing it, maybe there was an agreement between Steve and his wife that he could do what he wants on the sly as long as he remains a good provider, and good father to his boys. Pure speculation, but you never know. There are two sides to every story and Mechelle McNair, although going through a lot, will eventually have to answer the question whether she knew about this...and she has been pretty mum about the whole subject thus far (as have friends and family). To his credit, Peter King ended his interview on Sirius this morning with Eddie George asking the question whether he or Mechell knew about this relationship between the two deceased. You could tell he hated doing it, but again, asked a questions that will eventually be asked (if not already in private). Eddie deflected well, did not commit and it died pretty quickly. My guess is that this has been discussed "internally", but may not be ready for a public announcement (if ever).Again, we jump to conclusions so quickly (I did too), but after some good introspections, realized that he may not have done anything wrong.

It's quite possible. Although NY Daily News is reporting McNair's wife had no idea about the relationship until what transpired this weekend. I agree that relationships are complicated things and I don't judge him. Just based on the report that Mechelle McNair didn't know about this, then I presume his kids didn't, either. Unlike you, McNair's kids won't be able to have his dad explain it to them. And that's what compounds the difficulty for them in my limited perspective.

 

[Sweet Love]

Matt,I would say that you put together a fine essay concerning Steve McNair the football player, and for that I commend and thank you!In using McNair to inspire either Liam or Rowan to achieve their goals and aspirations, I think that you must not omit the obvious nicks in McNair's armor. IMHO they need to be told that the character of a person is not defined solely by how they perform a handful of times in the spotlight, but by how they live each hour of each day.My

Thank you and I agree completely. I also think McNair is an unfortunate (but fine) example of showing how people are flawed but you can still admire them for the good things they did. There are limits that I believe are reasonable to stay within. That F-1 guy Eccelstone (sp?) obviously didn't understand this when he talked about Hitler this weekend in the media. Certainly John Wayne Gacy might have had some redeeming qualities - not that I'd want to find out - however, I wouldn't use him or other obvious people who have done sick, horrible things as examples.However, personal relationships are difficult and private matters and as devastating as infidelity can be for a family, it doesn't take away from the pain of seeing a father or husband pass. It further complicates the matter for sure and I am very empathetic to McNair's family for what they are going through and the media onslaught that will continue because the details will be made very public. I would see this as a constructive lesson about the impact of infidelity on a family and the pain McNair unintentionally put his wife and sons through as a result of this. At the same time, I would not want to leave my children with the thought that he was a bad man. He was a human being and human beings are capable of great things but they also can make big mistakes that hurt others greatly. I expect his kids will be very angry with him at some point and it will be hard to express considering that they are mourning him, too. Horrible, horrible fate for McNair and his family.

It is interesting that we think he had a "***** in his armour", but maybe he didn't. This may sound strange to many, but my parents almost divorced about 8 years ago...I was married at the time, still am, but it was based on another woman. My father took the high road explaining to a devasted me that he was wrong, but I could tell something else was there. Over the years I have come to find out that he and my mom were about to split when I was a very young child, but decided to stay together strictly for me...stupid, at the time I thought...but it was their decision. It only became an issue when my mom realized the "other woman" wanted my dad to leave my mom and that is when it hit the fan...not when he was with her, which I found out later had been going on for years (a kind of agreement between the two). As a married man with three kids seven and under, I can see how these types of relationships/understandings spawn. His wife may not have been into a "physical relationship" anymore and instead of high-tailing it, maybe there was an agreement between Steve and his wife that he could do what he wants on the sly as long as he remains a good provider, and good father to his boys. Pure speculation, but you never know. There are two sides to every story and Mechelle McNair, although going through a lot, will eventually have to answer the question whether she knew about this...and she has been pretty mum about the whole subject thus far (as have friends and family). To his credit, Peter King ended his interview on Sirius this morning with Eddie George asking the question whether he or Mechell knew about this relationship between the two deceased. You could tell he hated doing it, but again, asked a questions that will eventually be asked (if not already in private). Eddie deflected well, did not commit and it died pretty quickly. My guess is that this has been discussed "internally", but may not be ready for a public announcement (if ever).Again, we jump to conclusions so quickly (I did too), but after some good introspections, realized that he may not have done anything wrong.

It's quite possible. Although NY Daily News is reporting McNair's wife had no idea about the relationship until what transpired this weekend. I agree that relationships are complicated things and I don't judge him. Just based on the report that Mechelle McNair didn't know about this, then I presume his kids didn't, either. Unlike you, McNair's kids won't be able to have his dad explain it to them. And that's what compounds the difficulty for them in my limited perspective.

I did not realize that (and understandably so since this is so new), but I would take it with a grain of salt. I have no horse in this race, in fact, in my 13 years of FF, I never owned McNair and probably cheered against him 100+ times, but off the field (for the most part), he did what all of us dream we would do if he had millions and retired in our 30s. The difference is, he actually did it. He was a great humanitarian and taken from us too soon...I could see him being a true model to young players (not like Deion or Irvin..."I did all crazy crap when I played, but you shouldn't"), but an actual pure ambassador of how the game should be played both on and off the field.I am a life long Jets fan and CuMar is my favorite all-time Jet. If anything like this happened to him, I would be crushed . These are good men who bring more to the game off the field than they ever could have on it.

 

[Matt Waldman]

Matt,I would say that you put together a fine essay concerning Steve McNair the football player, and for that I commend and thank you!In using McNair to inspire either Liam or Rowan to achieve their goals and aspirations, I think that you must not omit the obvious nicks in McNair's armor. IMHO they need to be told that the character of a person is not defined solely by how they perform a handful of times in the spotlight, but by how they live each hour of each day.My

Thank you and I agree completely. I also think McNair is an unfortunate (but fine) example of showing how people are flawed but you can still admire them for the good things they did. There are limits that I believe are reasonable to stay within. That F-1 guy Eccelstone (sp?) obviously didn't understand this when he talked about Hitler this weekend in the media. Certainly John Wayne Gacy might have had some redeeming qualities - not that I'd want to find out - however, I wouldn't use him or other obvious people who have done sick, horrible things as examples.However, personal relationships are difficult and private matters and as devastating as infidelity can be for a family, it doesn't take away from the pain of seeing a father or husband pass. It further complicates the matter for sure and I am very empathetic to McNair's family for what they are going through and the media onslaught that will continue because the details will be made very public. I would see this as a constructive lesson about the impact of infidelity on a family and the pain McNair unintentionally put his wife and sons through as a result of this. At the same time, I would not want to leave my children with the thought that he was a bad man. He was a human being and human beings are capable of great things but they also can make big mistakes that hurt others greatly. I expect his kids will be very angry with him at some point and it will be hard to express considering that they are mourning him, too. Horrible, horrible fate for McNair and his family.

It is interesting that we think he had a "***** in his armour", but maybe he didn't. This may sound strange to many, but my parents almost divorced about 8 years ago...I was married at the time, still am, but it was based on another woman. My father took the high road explaining to a devasted me that he was wrong, but I could tell something else was there. Over the years I have come to find out that he and my mom were about to split when I was a very young child, but decided to stay together strictly for me...stupid, at the time I thought...but it was their decision. It only became an issue when my mom realized the "other woman" wanted my dad to leave my mom and that is when it hit the fan...not when he was with her, which I found out later had been going on for years (a kind of agreement between the two). As a married man with three kids seven and under, I can see how these types of relationships/understandings spawn. His wife may not have been into a "physical relationship" anymore and instead of high-tailing it, maybe there was an agreement between Steve and his wife that he could do what he wants on the sly as long as he remains a good provider, and good father to his boys. Pure speculation, but you never know. There are two sides to every story and Mechelle McNair, although going through a lot, will eventually have to answer the question whether she knew about this...and she has been pretty mum about the whole subject thus far (as have friends and family). To his credit, Peter King ended his interview on Sirius this morning with Eddie George asking the question whether he or Mechell knew about this relationship between the two deceased. You could tell he hated doing it, but again, asked a questions that will eventually be asked (if not already in private). Eddie deflected well, did not commit and it died pretty quickly. My guess is that this has been discussed "internally", but may not be ready for a public announcement (if ever).Again, we jump to conclusions so quickly (I did too), but after some good introspections, realized that he may not have done anything wrong.

It's quite possible. Although NY Daily News is reporting McNair's wife had no idea about the relationship until what transpired this weekend. I agree that relationships are complicated things and I don't judge him. Just based on the report that Mechelle McNair didn't know about this, then I presume his kids didn't, either. Unlike you, McNair's kids won't be able to have his dad explain it to them. And that's what compounds the difficulty for them in my limited perspective.

I did not realize that (and understandably so since this is so new), but I would take it with a grain of salt. I have no horse in this race, in fact, in my 13 years of FF, I never owned McNair and probably cheered against him 100+ times, but off the field (for the most part), he did what all of us dream we would do if he had millions and retired in our 30s. The difference is, he actually did it. He was a great humanitarian and taken from us too soon...I could see him being a true model to young players (not like Deion or Irvin..."I did all crazy crap when I played, but you shouldn't"), but an actual pure ambassador of how the game should be played both on and off the field.I am a life long Jets fan and CuMar is my favorite all-time Jet. If anything like this happened to him, I would be crushed . These are good men who bring more to the game off the field than they ever could have on it.

That's why I admired him. He cared about people and showed it. He may not have handled some of his private business well - we're unfortunately going to find out - but it's not common to hear so many people say the same things about someone in the public eye who passes.

 

[DA RAIDERS]

idolizing athletes is a foolish thing to do outside of athletics. we know next to nothing about these people. we know in between the lines, but that's it.

 

[identikit]

idolizing athletes is a foolish thing to do outside of athletics. we know next to nothing about these people. we know in between the lines, but that's it.

X 2

 

[hacman]

I'll always be a fan of Steve McNair. On the field, he embodied everything that you could want in a football player that was playing for your team.

I wanted to add Michael Lombardi's column on McNair as well.

 

[Dancing Bear]

It is interesting that we think he had a "***** in his armour", but maybe he didn't.

I purposely omitted any reference to casting aspersions about the situation with his wife and girlfriend, although I think you are stretching it to believe this was an agreed upon living situation ...I was referencing the 3 times that he has been publicly involved with DUI, which I think is reprehensible [2003, 2007 and 2009]!

 

[Bayhawks]

It is interesting that we think he had a "***** in his armour", but maybe he didn't.

I purposely omitted any reference to casting aspersions about the situation with his wife and girlfriend, although I think you are stretching it to believe this was an agreed upon living situation ...I was referencing the 3 times that he has been publicly involved with DUI, which I think is reprehensible [2003, 2007 and 2009]!

Not to excuse it, but of those 3 times, wasn't he only driving ONCE? In 2007, he was the passenger in a vehicle (maybe his) being driven by someone who was legally over the limit? And the most recent one was when his lady friend was driving a vehicle (registered in both their names?) and she was drunk? It would seem that he made a mistake about driving drunk in 2003, and he learned from it. It's hard to fault a guy who may have had a few drinks too many & decided not to drive. If you've been drinking, how are you supposed to accurately judge whether your "DD" has drank too much?With regards to the agreed upon situation with his GF and wife, we don't know, but it seems to be a possiblity. It doesn't appear like McNair was hiding his relationship with this woman. Perhaps he and his wife agreed he could have a GF on the side. Perhaps they were in the midst of a separation that hadn't been made public. I don't know, but it just doesn't seem like she was a secret GF; what with the shared car, separate condo in Nashville near her, the pictures of him with her. Seems like if you were cheating on your wife, you wouldn't be as open as he seemed to be.

 

[sho nuff]

It is interesting that we think he had a "***** in his armour", but maybe he didn't.

I purposely omitted any reference to casting aspersions about the situation with his wife and girlfriend, although I think you are stretching it to believe this was an agreed upon living situation ...I was referencing the 3 times that he has been publicly involved with DUI, which I think is reprehensible [2003, 2007 and 2009]!

Not to excuse it, but of those 3 times, wasn't he only driving ONCE? In 2007, he was the passenger in a vehicle (maybe his) being driven by someone who was legally over the limit? And the most recent one was when his lady friend was driving a vehicle (registered in both their names?) and she was drunk? It would seem that he made a mistake about driving drunk in 2003, and he learned from it. It's hard to fault a guy who may have had a few drinks too many & decided not to drive. If you've been drinking, how are you supposed to accurately judge whether your "DD" has drank too much?With regards to the agreed upon situation with his GF and wife, we don't know, but it seems to be a possiblity. It doesn't appear like McNair was hiding his relationship with this woman. Perhaps he and his wife agreed he could have a GF on the side. Perhaps they were in the midst of a separation that hadn't been made public. I don't know, but it just doesn't seem like she was a secret GF; what with the shared car, separate condo in Nashville near her, the pictures of him with her. Seems like if you were cheating on your wife, you wouldn't be as open as he seemed to be.

Yes...the 2nd two were not for him driving but a TN law that chargers the passenger if he gets into the car knowingly with a drunk driver.

 

[sho nuff]

It's quite possible. Although NY Daily News is reporting McNair's wife had no idea about the relationship until what transpired this weekend. I agree that relationships are complicated things and I don't judge him. Just based on the report that Mechelle McNair didn't know about this, then I presume his kids didn't, either. Unlike you, McNair's kids won't be able to have his dad explain it to them. And that's what compounds the difficulty for them in my limited perspective.

Im not sure I believe the stories that she did not know.I have heard many people say they have seen him out before with women...I have seen it as well.and Im not saying that to put the guy down at all...just that if she did not know, its cause she did not want to know and was turning the blind eye IMO.

 

[Matt Waldman]

Personally, I agree with you. I have a feeling she knew he saw other women. However, it's purely speculative on my part.

 

[DA RAIDERS]

do you think he provided her, an underage person, any alcohol during their dating??? just saying.(& not that i care)

it's really time to stop deifying the dude.

 

[sho nuff]

Who is deifying him?

I think most realize he had flaws...we all do. Sorry that not all of us will bash the guy for those flaws but chose to remember all the good that he did.