R.I.P. Steve McNair

Millions of people appear devastated by the death of Michael Jackson and his memorial service today is being treated like a huge entertainment event with world-wide, non-stop coverage. While he was brilliant and talented his death should not come as any surprise and the hype surrounding it has gone way past the point of overkill….frankly it’s nauseating.

To me the death of former NFL quarterback Steve McNair is much more shocking than that of Jackson, a twisted and torn freak whose best days were two decades ago. McNair by all accounts was the quintessential success story of an athlete who came from a small town and made it big in professional sports. He was a former NFL Co-MVP who led the Tennessee Titans to a Super Bowl appearance but had to end his career following the 2007 season because of injuries at the age of 34. He was a popular teammate and active in the community and was well-known in the Nashville area where he had recently opened a restaurant. McNair was married for 12 years and his wife was the mother of two of his four sons. He was far from perfect… he had two children born out of wedlock and had been involved in a couple of DUI’S but appeared to be a solid person coping with life after football.

However like so many others McNair had a secret life…at least it seemed to be a secret from his own family. He had been dating a 20-year old waitress for about six months and had taken her on vacations and even gave her a car as a birthday present. Sahel Kazemi was under the impression that the former football player was in the midst of getting a divorce and pictured herself as the next Mrs. McNair. However something happened and in the early morning hours of July 4th McNair was shot four times in a condo he co-owned with a friend and Kazemi was nearby dead of a single gunshot from a weapon she purchased a couple of days earlier. While a final determination has not been made all roads lead to a murder-suicide but we may never know the true story of why these two young lives came to sudden end. McNair leaves a family, friends and fans stunned over the strange circumstances. Seems to me that this one is much more tragic than that of the “King of Pop.”