Media coverage of the death of former Alcorn State superstar quarterback Steve McNair has caused a great debate.

Should McNair, who finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1994 and then went on to a great 13-year career in the NFL, be looked up to for the positive things he did in his life, or frowned upon for the affair he was having at the time of his death?

While that debate will likely rage on for a while, another question came to my mind.

Is anyone worthy of role model status?

Steve McNair did a lot of great things during his life.

He supported charities with his time and money, worked with many teens in Mississippi at football camps, personally helped load trucks headed to Mississippi with supplies in the wake of Hurricane Katrina and was revered in Nashville, Tenn., because of not only what he did on the field for the Tennessee Titans, but what he did off of it.

McNair was also an adulterer, who cheated on his wife and four children with a woman 16 years his younger, who then murdered him in his sleep.

McNair’s good deeds shouldn’t be wiped away because of his adultery.

Can’t kids look up to him because of the good things he did for people and causes he supported?

But, if you told children to look up to McNair because of his good deeds, would you be tacitly be telling them that his adultery was OK behavior as well?

If we took that logic and applied it to every person in the world, would there be any role models left?

Let’s just look at a few.

One of my personal role models in my childhood growing up in Florence, Ala., was University of Alabama quarterback Jay Barker.

He was the quintessential All-American. Good looking, devoutly religious, and a heck of a quarterback, he helped lead the Crimson Tide to a national championship in 1992.

After his playing career finished up, he still remained active in the Alabama community, speaking to groups and sharing his Christian faith throughout the state.

He married a beautiful Alabama girl and together they had four children.

However, a few years ago, he and his wife of 14 years divorced and he then married country music singer Sara Evans.

Should we now turn a deaf ear to Barker’s message of Christianity because he has been through a divorce?

OK, maybe famous people in general aren’t good to have as role models.

Maybe you should pick someone who is out of the limelight.

My father is a wonderful Christian man. He is a loving dad and devoted husband.

However, he has done things I know he regrets.

So should I not look up to my father as a role model because of some negative things he has done?

The answer to all of the questions I’ve posed should be a resounding “no.”

The Bible says that all men have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

No person in this world is perfect, and that should not be a reason to exclude him or her from being a role model.

Let’s remember Steve McNair’s generous spirit and humility as well as his work with Mississippi’s youth.

However, this doesn’t mean we should look past their faults.

While children should look up to McNair for the good things he did, they should also be knowledgeable about his infidelity and try and learn from the mistakes he made.

So, perhaps the key to picking a role model is, don’t look at the person, because he or she is flawed.

Look at the things in that person you want to emulate and strive for that, while remaining aware of that person’s flaws.

That way, your chosen role model can teach you both the things to emulate and the things to avoid.

And that is probably the best role model you can have.

Jeff Edwards is the sports editor for The Democrat. He can be reached at sports@natchezdemocrat.com.