I’m still in shock about McNair’s death. I was at my brother-in-law’s house when I saw them show a few of Steve’s highlights on the TV – no volume – and I had no idea what was going on, but I thought it might be something bad. Those thoughts were quickly pushed from my mind as we continued to spend time with my wife’s family. That night, I was in bed with my two oldest boys trying to get them to go to sleep when my wife came flying into the room to tell me that he had been murdered. I was half asleep then and I still feel half asleep now when I think about it.
McNair was my favorite football player. Ever. I’ve enjoyed watching plenty of players in my life but none of them come close to McNair. He made me love the Tennessee Titans. I was a casual fan before the Superbowl against the Rams – after watching him play in that game I became a die hard fanatic. I loved the way he played the game. I loved how he carried himself on the field and the way he interacted with his teammates. I loved that he never took the credit for a win and he always took the blame for a loss. There would be games where he played perfect football and the defense would lose the game or someone would fumble it away and he never pointed a finger. He just stood there and said he should have made more plays.
This is a big loss for the Titans and for the city of Nashville. He was one of the first true sports icons of this city and he died way too young. He will be missed.
The Blue Raft 