Most NFL players pass through the consciousness of sports fans for only a few short years. The transition from week-in, week-out star to afterthought is startlingly quick. One minute they’re a key member of your fantasy team, the next, they’re “remember this guy?” nostalgia.
Only a few players from any era transcend their playing days, some because of stardom, others because of tragedy. Steve McNair played 13 years in the NFL, some of them very good, one of them magnificent. But he’s remembered now mostly for the final moments of his life, a tragic ending that threw a shadow over his entire career.