The thing about McNair

In many ways, as friends and former teammates point out, Steve McNair was a model athlete.

He was talented, he was tough, he cared about his community. So they are asking the media to tread lightly on his infidelity — the infidelity that led to his death — because, they say, it dishonors his memory.

Actually, it was McNair — by his actions — who dishonored his memory.

And let’s talk about community a little.

McNair did many wonderful things for “the community,” including this month when he held a free football camp in Hattiesburg, Miss., for 600 underprivileged children. And he didn’t do this for PR; he did it because he cared. One just wishes he had cared a little more about a smaller community — his wife and his four sons.

In life, it takes time to learn that you are not the center of the universe, that you are responsible to other people, that some things are not OK to do just because you can. If you are a star athlete like McNair, it can take a good deal more time to learn.

McNair hadn’t learned that lesson by age 36. That’s not surprising, but it is a shame, not only for his family, but for his fans.

McNair meant something special to his fans because of his toughness, because of his talent, because of the caring he demonstrated. They should have always been able to think of him with unalloyed affection and pride.

Their thoughts about him now will be, well … more complicated.