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In the world of sports, it’s usually drama or violence that makes the most interesting stories. The human being has a morbid fascination with people acting spoiled (i.e. reality television) or violent crimes. I’ll admit, I don’t get off on it myself, but it makes for good reporting. I just wish I didn’t have to write about what happened this afternoon.

Around 2 pm, the body of Steve McNair was discovered in a Nashville apartment. He and a yet-to-be revealed woman were shot dead: the reason, unclear. McNair was 36 years old, and 2008 was his first year out of the NFL following his retirement after the 2007 season.

Anyone that was lucky enough to have either played with or watched McNair play is, without doubt, hurting severely from hearing the news. McNair was an unselfish leader and a player that didn’t know when to quit. He consistently played with injuries and never complained about his salary or team management. Steve McNair was the leader every team needs.

His diverse abilities as both a passer and scrambler helped turn the Houston Oilers, a laughingstock in the AFC, into a team one yard away from winning the Super Bowl years later, after they located to Tennessee and became the Titans. Alongside Fran Tarkenton and Steve Young, McNair is the only other quarterback to throw for more than 30,000 yards and rush for 3,500 yards over the course of his career. He was elected to the Pro Bowl three times, and with Peyton Manning, was the 2003 NFL Co-MVP.

Off the field, McNair was an even better person than he was a football player. The first thing he did after being drafted by the Oilers in the first round of the 1995 NFL Draft was buy his mother, who had raised him and his siblings alone, her own tract of land and built her a new home. McNair frequently volunteered with United Way and other organizations.

Steve McNair leaves behind not only the friends he made during his years in the Titans and Baltimore Ravens organizations, but also his wife, Mechelle, and four sons, Steve Jr., Steven, Tyler, and Trenton. On a day taken aside to celebrate the freedom and independence of our nation, a tragedy such as this reminds us how valuable life really is. Keep the McNair family, their friends, and former teammates, in your prayers.

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