Steve McNair, 1973-2009

It has been a while since I've updated this blog. Sorry to those of you who actually read this blog. To be honest it was pure laziness on my behalf. I was gearing up, preparing a blog update for the latest summer movie that I have seen, Transformers 2. But after hearing the terrible news from this past weekend, the movie review can wait. The death of one of the biggest class acts in sports is more important. Rest in peace Steve McNair.

I found out about it during the evening of the 4th. My jaw nearly hit the floor. "Air" McNair had been one of my favorite players of all time. I remember being a youngster and being with my mom while we purchased his #9 jersey, back when he was on the Houston Oilers. I still own the jersey and have it in my closet. I still wear it every once and a while around the house. Now it has such a different meaning behind it.

There are more and more details coming out each day about the circumstances of the death and his relationship with the woman he was with. I pray that there was nothing too shady that went on, and that his potential romantic relationship is something that his wife knew about (maybe there is a chance that he and his wife had had a rough patch and were on a break for a bit or something?), but one way or another I have to admit, it does not look good, which hurts to hear.

The Red Shirt Senior (Right) wearing his Steve McNair jersey at the 2006 Madden Challenge held at Gillete Stadium in Foxboro, MA alongside Boston radio personality Adolfo Gonzalez of 104.1 WBCN

Every athlete is hurt at some point in their athletic career. But there is a difference between playing hurt, and playing injured. McNair was able to play injured on a regular basis towards the end of his career. Every Sunday he would strap on the pads and go to work. I always looked up to that.

Thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends. Rest in Peace.