Steve McNair Is Called A "Hero" and a "Legend" At Funeral
Bishop Joseph Walker III said during the funeral service the following:
"...Next time you write about Steve McNair, drop your stone. Next time you text somebody, drop your stone. The next time you Twitter, drop your stone."
This is a quote from the New Testament in which Jesus said that "Ye without sin, cast the first stone".
Is this possible or even advisable? Should some greater good come from this needless and senseless murder?
Steve McNair was an NFL quarterback, a good NFL quarterback. He did not deserve to die at the hands of a crazed and apparently depressed woman. 5,000 people including other NFL stars came out to pay their respects and speak of McNair the man, athlete and teammate. His mother said that the death was the work of the devil.
Was it the work of the devil, or the devil within? This fatal attraction murder was the result of a man having an extramarital affair. Those are the facts, but not really the facts that are being focused on. Should they be, or in death should we only dwell on the good, and not dwell on trying to bring some good from a tragic event?
Athletes As Role Model
Nobody requires an athlete to take the responsibility of living life in such a way as to be a role model to children, adolescents and even adults as to the way that life should be lived. Athletes, maybe even more than "regular" people, grow up and live with a certain sense of entitlement as to how the "game" of life is to be played. With all of the temptation that surrounds them, particularly as a professional athlete, it would seem that perhaps they need to be even stronger than the average Joe. An athlete like a Tim Tebow seems to be much more exception than rule.
Right or wrong, the fact is that our kids grow up to idolize athletes. They are our heroes and we grow up dreaming that someday we may be a professional and get to live the life that on T.V. and in the press is portrayed as pretty damn good. In the days when I was growing up we really didn't know much about the things that went on off of the field. We just wanted to be Bart Starr and play for the Green Bay Packers. We, or at least I, didn't know about what they used to call the "drinking and carousing".
Today, in the age of TMZ, the private lives of our athletes are now very public. Every nick, scratch and indiscretion is laid out for all to see the minute it happens. Our children watch these things and interpret them in their own way.
Some will see this event only for the fact that a man was needlessly murdered. Others may also see it as a tragic murder, but also take from it that Steve McNair was having an affair, the fact of which has been glossed over, almost making the act of marital indiscretion a non-event and perhaps even okay. Other may see it as the cause and effect that it was.
Bottom Line
In a world where the moral fabric in business, politics and personal behavior seems to be deteriorating at a rapid pace, a larger lesson needs to be taken from this tragic death. In death, mistakes in life are sometimes forgotten, and those who mourn focus only on the good. We as a society cannot allow this to happen.
A better understanding of right and wrong needs to be resurrected and reinforced. This starts, if the discussion comes up, with an explanation of the sanctity of marriage. That when you take a vow, you keep that vow!
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