Sen. John McCain, Arizona Republican, passed away Saturday at the age of 81 shortly after he opted to discontinue treatment for his aggressive glioblastoma. Members…
Sen. John McCain, Arizona Republican, passed away Saturday at the age of 81 shortly after he opted to discontinue treatment for his aggressive glioblastoma.
Members of the sports world are paying tribute to the war hero and 2008 presidential candidate this weekend.
“Rest in peace to an American hero, statesman, servant of the people, and dear friend. Godspeed Senator McCain,” wrote Larry Fitzgerald, who has spent his entire NFL career with the Arizona Cardinals and had gotten to know McCain. Last Christmas, Fitzgerald wrote a tribute to McCain for Sports Illustrated’s vertical “The MMQB” that expounded upon his relationship with the senator and his wife, Cindy McCain.
Longtime Diamondbacks outfielder Luis Gonzalez, now a senior adviser to their front office, added his thoughts:
McCain visited Arizona’s other “major four” professional teams frequently, encapsulated nicely by this collage:
McCain was also a big fan of boxing and took part in the sport himself when he attended the U. S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Former heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko was among the athletes posting remembrances on social media:
McCain was instrumental to the 1996 passage of the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act, which gives professional boxers more financial and medical protections.
Here is just a sampling of what the Cardinals, Coyotes, Diamondbacks and Suns have said about McCain:
