ESPN on legacy of McNair - what do you think??

[CelticsWhat35]

I don't think the circumstances that led to McNair's death should be ignored, but at the same time, I find it pretty apalling that some people feel like it's less of a tragedy because of how he died.  The bottom line is that a man died through no fault of his own.  You can disagree with adultery all you want.  I could never imagine cheating on my wife, but to imply that he brought this on himself is asinine.  None of us know the circumstances.  From all accounts, not even McNair's closest friends knew anything about this girl.  So to make accusations about his parenting skills and the like are ignorant.  You can say he was ultimately a bad husband for cheating on his wife, but do mistakes he made for a few months totally wipe out what he did for 36 years??  Maybe this wasn't the only time he cheated on his wife.  It probably wasn't, but none of us know that.  And it's unfair to throw blanket accusations about the man's life without knowing all the facts.

Who ever said it was less of a tragedy?

It's a tragedy. Many of us just feel it's as large of a tragedy for his family and that we shouldn't be painting this guy into being some kind of saint when his extra curricular activities in cheating on his wife and family DIRECTLY lead to his death.

So, since he cheated on his wife and his mistress killed him, we shouldn't feel as bad for him being murdered?  And we should also disregard all the great things he did in his community?

[connerhenry43]

I don't think McNair deserved to die or anything, really, but this would have never happened if he wasn't out cheating on his wife. Simple as that. And how do you think his wife feels having to tell their children WHY their father died?

imagine being his wife. it is possible she was given two bombshells, one right on top of each other (your husband was cheating on you and your husband has been killed). from accounts, she had no idea of the affair.

[Rondoholic]

The real victims are his kids.  Not his wife or him but his kids.  We don't know the details which caused him to cheat but there COULD be potential wrongdoing by both him AND his wife.  Not that she also was cheating but they were both adults who are responsible for their actions.  The kids on the other hand are the real victims.  They had no part in this (and his wife may not have also but I'm just saying).  They deserved to have their father in their life and now that was taken away from them through the actions of their father and his poorly-chosen mistress.

[Rondo2287]

I don't think the circumstances that led to McNair's death should be ignored, but at the same time, I find it pretty apalling that some people feel like it's less of a tragedy because of how he died.  The bottom line is that a man died through no fault of his own.  You can disagree with adultery all you want.  I could never imagine cheating on my wife, but to imply that he brought this on himself is asinine.  None of us know the circumstances.  From all accounts, not even McNair's closest friends knew anything about this girl.  So to make accusations about his parenting skills and the like are ignorant.  You can say he was ultimately a bad husband for cheating on his wife, but do mistakes he made for a few months totally wipe out what he did for 36 years??  Maybe this wasn't the only time he cheated on his wife.  It probably wasn't, but none of us know that.  And it's unfair to throw blanket accusations about the man's life without knowing all the facts.

Who ever said it was less of a tragedy?

It's a tragedy. Many of us just feel it's as large of a tragedy for his family and that we shouldn't be painting this guy into being some kind of saint when his extra curricular activities in cheating on his wife and family DIRECTLY lead to his death.

So, since he cheated on his wife and his mistress killed him, we shouldn't feel as bad for him being murdered?  And we should also disregard all the great things he did in his community?

Community starts at home

[CelticsWhat35]

I don't think the circumstances that led to McNair's death should be ignored, but at the same time, I find it pretty apalling that some people feel like it's less of a tragedy because of how he died.  The bottom line is that a man died through no fault of his own.  You can disagree with adultery all you want.  I could never imagine cheating on my wife, but to imply that he brought this on himself is asinine.  None of us know the circumstances.  From all accounts, not even McNair's closest friends knew anything about this girl.  So to make accusations about his parenting skills and the like are ignorant.  You can say he was ultimately a bad husband for cheating on his wife, but do mistakes he made for a few months totally wipe out what he did for 36 years??  Maybe this wasn't the only time he cheated on his wife.  It probably wasn't, but none of us know that.  And it's unfair to throw blanket accusations about the man's life without knowing all the facts.

Who ever said it was less of a tragedy?

It's a tragedy. Many of us just feel it's as large of a tragedy for his family and that we shouldn't be painting this guy into being some kind of saint when his extra curricular activities in cheating on his wife and family DIRECTLY lead to his death.

So, since he cheated on his wife and his mistress killed him, we shouldn't feel as bad for him being murdered?  And we should also disregard all the great things he did in his community?

Community starts at home

And since you were a member of his household, I'd love to hear your opinion on that as well.

[Rondo2287]

I havent been there for the past couple months.  Neither has he, so I would say that we are just as much a member of his household

[nickagneta]

I don't think the circumstances that led to McNair's death should be ignored, but at the same time, I find it pretty apalling that some people feel like it's less of a tragedy because of how he died.  The bottom line is that a man died through no fault of his own.  You can disagree with adultery all you want.  I could never imagine cheating on my wife, but to imply that he brought this on himself is asinine.  None of us know the circumstances.  From all accounts, not even McNair's closest friends knew anything about this girl.  So to make accusations about his parenting skills and the like are ignorant.  You can say he was ultimately a bad husband for cheating on his wife, but do mistakes he made for a few months totally wipe out what he did for 36 years??  Maybe this wasn't the only time he cheated on his wife.  It probably wasn't, but none of us know that.  And it's unfair to throw blanket accusations about the man's life without knowing all the facts.

Who ever said it was less of a tragedy?

It's a tragedy. Many of us just feel it's as large of a tragedy for his family and that we shouldn't be painting this guy into being some kind of saint when his extra curricular activities in cheating on his wife and family DIRECTLY lead to his death.

So, since he cheated on his wife and his mistress killed him, we shouldn't feel as bad for him being murdered?  And we should also disregard all the great things he did in his community?

Please point to the areas of my post where I said we should feel bad that he was killed.

Please point to the area in my post where I said that we should disregard what he did in the community.

Why do you people keep trying to words into my mouth.

I never said or meant any of that. What I said, and maybe some of you need to pay closer attention to this, is it is a tragedy that Steve McNair was killed. But his own decisions led to that death.

It's a tragedy that John Lennon and Martin Luther King Jr were murdered. But they did not create a relationship with their killers that directly related to their death. And just as it was a tragedy for the families of the Kings and the Lennons it is a tragedy for the family of McNair. None of those families should have had to go on without their fathers and husbands because murder is tragic for a whole family not just for the person who dies.

Now completely different subject. It's a tragedy that Steve McNair is dead, but what I hate about celebrity deaths is the way people try to paint over the flaws and indiscretions and mistakes of those dead people to make them out to be better people than they were simply because they are dead. I don't know anything personally about Steve McNair or his personal relationship with his wife. But that doesn't preclude me from having a lesser view of him as a person because he was cheating on his wife and hence not spending that time with his family.

All I am saying is let's not make him out to be some sort of saint just because he got killed. He did great things on the football field. He may have helped his community, I don't know. That's good stuff. But he did some not so nice stuff too so let's not be ready to canonize the guy. 

[Junkyard Dawg]

Congratulations to those of you who lead exemplary lives.  I applaud you and hope the people in your lives realize how lucky they are.  I for one, live in a world where people make mistakes, pretty big mistakes, and I'd never be able to see them as having "brought it on themselves" if they were shot to death for these mistakes.

For those of you are primarily concerned with the effect this will have on his kids, let me ask you this: Do you think it helps them to turn on ESPN.com and read an article by a person who knows next to nothing about their father, yet finds it in the kindness of their heart to judge him and his parenting skills, just days after he was shot to death?  

I'm not advocating McNair be held up on a pedestal more than anyone else (Rondo2287 included), but I'm just asking is this the right time to be judging the man?  He was just shot to death, for crying out loud!!!

[nickagneta]

Congratulations to those of you who lead exemplary lives.  I applaud you and hope the people in your lives realize how lucky they are.  I for one, live in a world where people make mistakes, pretty big mistakes, and I'd never be able to see them as having "brought it on themselves" if they were shot to death for these mistakes.

For those of you are primarily concerned with the effect this will have on his kids, let me ask you this: Do you think it helps them to turn on ESPN.com and read an article by a person who knows next to nothing about their father, yet finds it in the kindness of their heart to judge him and his parenting skills, just days after he was shot to death?  

I'm not advocating McNair be held up on a pedestal more than anyone else (Rondo2287 included), but I'm just asking is this the right time to be judging the man?  He was just shot to death, for crying out loud!!!

So if he wasn't shot to death and the story came out that he was doing the things he did it would be okay to have a negative opinion about him but because he was shot by his mistress we should not have those opinions?

I'm not saying that's what you are saying I'm just asking the question. I for one, am trying to keep the two things separate. He died and that is a tragedy, but it is no more or less a tragedy than what his decision to cheat on his wife and kids with a homicidal, suicidal mistress which led to his family no longer having him around.

[Junkyard Dawg]

He died and that is a tragedy, but it is no more or less a tragedy than what his decision to cheat on his wife and kids with a homicidal, suicidal mistress which led to his family no longer having him around.

OK that's a fair assessment, cheating on a spouse is an awful thing to do any way you slice it, no doubt, but I'm just saying we know very little about the circumstances surrounding this.  For all we know he and his wife WERE on the verge of splitting up, maybe she had been cheating on him.. I don't know! 

I guess I just feel like its ultimately up to the people who know him to make these judgments, especially so soon after he's murdered.  I don't have a problem with anyone else having opinions of the situation, I guess I'm just asking is it appropriate for ESPN to be running an article on its front page questioning his character, or legacy, or whatever?

[Rondo2287]

Congratulations to those of you who lead exemplary lives.  I applaud you and hope the people in your lives realize how lucky they are.  I for one, live in a world where people make mistakes, pretty big mistakes, and I'd never be able to see them as having "brought it on themselves" if they were shot to death for these mistakes.

For those of you are primarily concerned with the effect this will have on his kids, let me ask you this: Do you think it helps them to turn on ESPN.com and read an article by a person who knows next to nothing about their father, yet finds it in the kindness of their heart to judge him and his parenting skills, just days after he was shot to death?  

I'm not advocating McNair be held up on a pedestal more than anyone else (Rondo2287 included), but I'm just asking is this the right time to be judging the man?  He was just shot to death, for crying out loud!!!

I don't understand the need to call me out in your post, but I think it was kinda uncalled for.
  On a related note, Mcnair spent so much time with this girl in his condo, police said neighbors thought that they were living together.  That leads me to believe that he spent very little time with the family that he committed himself too.  It seems like he was more interested in getting tail than he was in taking care of his responsibilities as a father.  I mean think about it, pro athletes are gone enough of their lives while they are playing, and although he may have provided financially for his family it doesnt sound like he was there emotionally or physically since he retired.  Now imagine you are one of his kids and realize your father was never around while he was alive and now hes not around because he is dead.  Now imagine everybody at school is going to know exactly why your father was killed.  Now tell me the real tragedy isnt his family.

[Junkyard Dawg]

It seems like he was more interested in getting tail than he was in taking care of his responsibilities as a father.

Sorry dude, didn't mean to make it seem like I was calling you out, I just saw you'd replied while I was typing so I put your name in.

I just think that's a pretty big assumption you're making.. He'd been with his wife for a long time, granted, it's a lifelong commitment but we don't know the nature of either relationship (the one with his wife, or the one with his girlfriend).  Like I said, maybe the two of them were in love, maybe not.  And I don't mean to discount the responsibility he had towards his kids.  I just don't think it's ESPN's place to be judging the guy when he's just been killed.

Look, in the end, I wasn't trying to question whether he was a good guy or a bad guy, I was asking whether people thought it was right to be making judgments about the man while he has JUST been killed.  It's one thing when it's Mike Vick, T.O., Starbury, but at least these guys are still alive to defend themselves.

[connerhenry43]

It seems like he was more interested in getting tail than he was in taking care of his responsibilities as a father.

Sorry dude, didn't mean to make it seem like I was calling you out, I just saw you'd replied while I was typing so I put your name in.

I just think that's a pretty big assumption you're making.. He'd been with his wife for a long time, granted, it's a lifelong commitment but we don't know the nature of either relationship (the one with his wife, or the one with his girlfriend).  Like I said, maybe the two of them were in love, maybe not.  And I don't mean to discount the responsibility he had towards his kids.  I just don't think it's ESPN's place to be judging the guy when he's just been killed.

Look, in the end, I wasn't trying to question whether he was a good guy or a bad guy, I was asking whether people thought it was right to be making judgments about the man while he has JUST been killed.  It's one thing when it's Mike Vick, T.O., Starbury, but at least these guys are still alive to defend themselves.

JYD, we all make mistakes. but this is a big one. again, i am a mcnair fan, would not wish this on him or his family in a million years. i think we can all agree this was a horrible thing that happened, and we can all agree that cheating on your husband or wife is wrong. i wish people would solve their problems or frustrations in life with solutions other than violence.