Steve McNair Was A Man's Man

(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images).

As an avid—and sometimes rabid—New York Giants fan, it's rare that I find myself rooting for a player on another team. Why that is, well, it's beyond me. My loyalty for Big Blue runs deep and unless a certain player has ties to the Giants, there's little chance I'll root for them.

But when it came to Steve "Air" McNair, it was a different case.

Sometimes there are just athletes who come along that do and say all the right things; athletes that are larger than life and play the game the way it's meant to be played. They are the men that grit their teeth, play through pain and do everything within their power to help their team win a game. Yet when they leave the field, they can be referred as a gentle giant; men who go out of their way for their communities and charities.

Although he wasn't without fault, Steve McNair was one of those men.

Not only was he a fierce competitor, with a pain tolerance that few athletes exhibit today, he was genuinely good human being that devoted a lot of his time and money to help those in need.

He may never go down with the like of Dan Marino, Steve Young and Joe Montana, but McNair deserves to be remembered for his courageous actions both on and off the field.

My thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family, as well as the female victim found with him.

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