This post is long overdue but, to be quite honest, two things have kept me from getting to it. First, I have been pretty swamped with a handful of projects I'm working on, including (in no particular order): spring all-star teams for the Herald, feature stories and game coverage for the Herald, freelance stories for ESPN Rise and settling into my new apartment.

Second, I've just been trying to wrap my head around everything that has happened from June 25th up until this point. The truth is, I'm still trying to.

I was in the Herald office for the night on Thursday, June 25th. It was a relatively calm, quiet night, though, as anyone who has ever read this blog will know, I was pumped for the NBA Draft. With the draft still a few hours away though, I was simply sitting at my desk, plugging away at pages for the night. I clicked back over to my e-mail, which I always have open during work. I had received one of my daily news updates from the Washington Post (I get breaking news updates from the Post, the New York Times and Minneapolis Star Tribune ... I would suggest everyone else do the same). It read something along the lines of, "Michael Jackson rushed to hospital."

"Wow," I thought to myself. It's always a shock when a celebrity's life is in danger. The short news bulletin, however, did little to indicate anything serious was wrong. Not more than five minutes later, my co-worker Megan, who was serving as the Bristol Press news editor that night (yes, the Press editor works out of the Herald office ... I still don't really understand it myself either), answers a phone call.

"Oh my God, are you serious??" Everyone seemed a little startled. She hung up the phone and, almost as if she knew him directly, said, "Michael Jackson died."

Silence. Dead silence followed by utter shock, panic and confusion. How did he die? On the same day as Farrah Fawcett? What are we going to do with page one now? It was one of those few times in my life where I'm almost positive I'll never forget where I was when I heard. And, sure enough, as soon as I went back to my computer and checked my e-mail, two updates – one each from the Times and Post – reporting his apparent death.

Fast forward to July 4th, of all days. I was actually enjoying a relaxing day with my wonderful girlfriend, when I log on to ESPN.com and see a breaking news alert – "Steve McNair found shot dead."

...what?? As stunning as the Michael Jackson death was, and still is, I'd have to say it was a lot more expected than McNair's. And as the details continue to come out, it just continues to become more tragic. McNair, by all accounts, was a great human being. I never had the chance to meet McNair the man, but I had the privilege of watching the majority of McNair's football career. I will never, ever forget Super Bowl XXXIV between McNair's Titans and the Rams. At the time I really had no rooting interest. The Seahawks were still in the AFC West, so I had no divisional hatred for the Rams yet. But I was drawn to McNair, Eddie George, Frank Wycheck, etc. I've always liked Jeff Fisher, so I was pulling for his guys that night. The first half was basically a defensive battle, but the second half – and particularly the latter stages of the fourth quarter – were just fantastic. You can't get any closer than getting stopped at the one-yard line.

As a football fan, it's stunning to me that Steve McNair is gone. He only retired two seasons ago. The man was indestructible on a football field but, just like all of us, proved prone to regrettable decisions in everyday life. Michael Jackson will forever go down as a legend, one of the premier entertainers in human history. But he wasn't without flaws either. I think my co-worker Anthony was 100% on the dime in his Facebook status update today. It read, "Anthony thinks people are missing the whole picture in the aftermath of Michael Jackson's death. The story of the art is triumphant and unparalleled. The story of the artist is tragic and disturbing. Remember both."

If nothing else these two horribly tragic deaths should remind us of one thing: McNair and Jackson were humans. Just like myself. Just like you, whoever you are reading this post. Yes, they were millionaires and celebrities. But they made bad decisions. We all do. If you're like me, you'll take a minute and reflect on your own life. Be thankful for what you have. Vow to be humble, well-behaved and appreciative. It literally might save your life.