"Forced to choose, the poor, like the rich, love money more than political liberty; and the only political freedom capable of enduring is one that is so pruned as to keep the rich from denuding the poor by ability or subtlety and the poor from robbing the rich by violence or votes."--Will Durant
Listen up. This morning, The Daddy is feeling Steve McNair, a great quarterback, was found dead yesterday. He and a female, reputed to be his,were found shot to death in a Nashville condominium, which was said to be rented by McNair. McNair was one of The Daddy's favorite players. He was the second black quarterback to be in the super bowl. The first was Doug Williams, who came out of Grambling College. McNair came out of Alcorn College, a small black college. McNair proved once again that black players can succeed in professional football as quarterbacks. McNair not only backed up but that notion but demonstrated that blacks from small colleges can succeed in the NFL as well. One of the things that The Daddy loved about McNair was that he was a strong community person. he not only gave money but his time. Often, he could be seen in poor and black neighborhoods helping out a church, community center or assisting some other institution in the community with fundraising. A lot of details need to be learned before anything definitive can be said. But what could be said is that McNair's work in sometimes dangerous communities and continued friendship with guys he knew growing up could be at the heart of the matter. Though a noble gesture, it can be dangerous, as they can become easy targets. It is no secret that many high-profile athletes have become targets of thugs, including once long-time friends. That's why many athletes hire full-time guard to protect them. Others say they sometimes can't even trust the guards and get a permit to carry a gun. Such is the reality of rich black male athletes. Was this a random murder? Probably not. Was McNair and his girlfriend murdered by people who already knew him as a rich athlete? Probably so. Will there by more high-profile athletes, including the ones who give to the community that nurtured them? In violent America, with its proliferation of guns and high unemployment-- sadly yes.
What do you think happend in the killing of McNair and his girlfriend?
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8 comments:
It's hard to say what happened to McNair and his girlfriend until all the facts come out. But my guess is you're probably not to far off in your assumption that they could have fallen victim to somebody that McNair had known for a very long time.
It's really sad when you think about the jealousy of many in the black community, if one brother makes it, all the rest can do is scheme and scam what they can out of that brother. And if that brother isn't having any of the crap they are dishin' out, then the greedy ones can and will resort to anything to get what they want, including murder.
Nobody ever sits back and considers what a brother might have went through to get to the place they are at. Very rarely is anything just handed to anyone, much less a young black male, but all the others can see is that the one person has something they don't, and more times than not they just decide to take it without even thinking of the consequences beforehand.
I wish I knew what happened, Mac. I'm still as numb as I was when I first read about on Twitter several hours ago. Like Lyman Bostock before him, I may go to my grave never understanding why someone would kill Steve McNair. He wasn't just a great quarterback. He was a great person. Someone a kid of any race could look up to as a role model.
Well DBS, when I hear that a man and a women are shot in a room that is not his home, I hear lady drama problems. This incident has sparked a discussion between my girl and I. She says he probably played with the youg girl heart. I told her thats a common opinion from most woman. I think I'll do a post on "intentions-lust-family-consequence".
My girl said Mcnair was married so the other women wasn't nothing but a toy for him to play with and he got bit when the batteries ran down. Sad but maybe true ...we'll see.
Are you people delusional? You think Steve McNair was targeted bc he was a rich black athlete? He wasn't targeted at all, it has nothing to do w/him being black. He was a married man who had a girlfriend-why is that so accepted anyway. This is a crime of passion, from what the evidence is showing and the fact the police they are not looking for any other suspects, it seems evident the girlfriend shot him and then took her own life. The idea you want to make this about being black or rich is ridiculous.
Anon: Nobody is crazy or delusional.I didn't say McNair was killed by thugs. I said, "A lot of details need to be learned before anything definitive can be said. But what could be said is that McNair's work in sometimes dangerous communities and continued friendship with guys he knew growing up could be at the heart of the matter."
Second, I said what has become commonplace for many black athletes:that they are targets. As such, those black athletes who try to maintain contacts in poor communities, some violent communities, put themselves in dangerous situations. There are many black athletes who have been shot, stabbed, even killed. The first name that comes to my mind is a guy named Sean Taylor, who was killed when some thugs broke into his home. Another Pierce, the great guard for the Boston Celtics who was stabbed. Another was Lymon Bostock. Sports magazines and ESPN's "Outside the Line" program have done excellent stories on this.
Just because this incident may not be one where McNair was killed by thugs doesn't take away from the fact that black athletes are target and often need to hire guard and get gun permits to take care of themselves. Take care.
What CareyCarey said...
I know all the football men fans are sad by his passing, but I find it hard to believe that he did not know he was playing with danger. How do you buy your girlfriend a car and your wife is unaware? How are you taking vacations with this girl, and your wife is unaware? How are you sneaking out of the house at all hours of the night seeing her and your wife is unaware? Wives know a whole lot more than what they say. She knew he was fooling around, this was probably not his first time, but unfortunely it was his last.
I don't understand it. I usually don't get myself get caught up in these 'True Crime' scenarios. It's all the more weird in that not being a pointy-ball fan, I did not know who Steve McNair was before he was murdered.
Michelle McNair, wife and mother of his children, is said not to have been aware of Steve having another (3rd) woman on the side.
That's remarkable in view that (a) Steve had two girl friends and (b) his main squeeze was certainly aware McNair had another girl on a string. His #1 girlfriend, 20 year-old Sahel Kazemi, had followed/stalked but not confronted the unnamed #2.
So, right there are two widely different degrees of awareness. Neither Steve McNair nor Michelle, if we are to believe her, appeared to be clued in as to what was going on around them.
Only the self-aware, self-reliant and passionate Kazemi. She was hip. And she was self-reliant enough to buy herself a pistol, and passionate enough to ensure that McNair would spend the rest of his life with her. Up until the last few seconds of it, actually.
So, what are the morals to be drawn from this true-to-life, readymade-for-teevee, psycho-drama?
I got several ideas... but it's time to move on
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