Television: Why Did Nitro Kill Himself?

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But the scene, though moving, makes Turpin's death all the more disquieting because it reminds us that the show is dangling a million dollars in front of young men often from troubled, even desperate, backgrounds. Of course, sports do that too. Call it exploitation or opportunity: they depend on young men--often minorities--who come from little or nothing and are willing to literally fight for a better life.

Najai Turpin lost that larger fight, though producers will not reveal how he did in the ring. Burnett is not going to edit Turpin's scenes--it would be disrespectful, he says--but the producers are creating a trust fund for Turpin's family. Starting next month, millions of people will watch The Contender and feel they know Turpin. Yet his life ended in an act that not even those closest to him can explain. It turns out that in reality--actual reality--people don't reveal all in a soliloquy. And Rocky does not get a sequel. --With reporting by Sean Scully/Philadelphia