Steve McNair's death brings other side of his life to light

Image by Keith Allison via Flickr

NASHVILLE — Steve McNair, born on Valentine's Day 1973, became the most beloved figure in the Tennessee Titans' short history because he seemingly was indestructible on the field — and worked hard off of it, building ties to the community here through his youth and charity programs.
The news and circumstances of McNair's slaying dampened Fourth of July celebrations Saturday in Music City. He was found in his condominium Saturday afternoon, shot four times. The body of 20-year-old Sahel Kazemi— a waitress with whom the married father of four sons was having an affair — also lay dead from a single gunshot. A gun, thought to be the murder weapon, was found under her body, police said.
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It was a shocking and violent end for the man perhaps best remembered for taking the Titans to the verge of a Super Bowl XXXIV victory a decade ago. The deaths also revealed a side of McNair's personal life that was in stunning conflict with the iconic image he enjoyed among many fans here.
In Nashville on Sunday, the questions swirled: Was McNair the victim of a murder-suicide carried out by a girlfriend? Or were they the victims of an unknown killer?
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Nashville Metro police spokesman Don Aaron said there was no question that McNair, the NFL's 2003 co-MVP, was a homicide victim. But authorities were investigating how to classify Kazemi's death. Aaron said she had one bullet wound, to the side of the head.
Aaron said ownership of the gun hasn't been determined but that no suspects were being actively sought and that McNair's wife of 12 years, Mechelle, wasn't a suspect. But, Aaron said, "All scenarios are still on the table."
Kazemi's only police record in Nashville stems from a DUI arrest that occurred Thursday. She was driving a Cadillac Escalade registered in both her and McNair's name. McNair, riding in the passenger's seat when the vehicle was stopped, was allowed to take a taxi home, according to police.
"From what we've learned from friends, they apparently were involved in a dating relationship over the past several months," Aaron said. "We have already begun talking to friends of Miss Kazemi and Mr. McNair in an effort to ascertain (whether they were) having any squabbles, and if so why. That's a very important part of the investigation as we work toward classifying Miss Kazemi's death."
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Aaron said preliminary ballistic tests indicated the gun found beneath Kazemi was the murder weapon but added, "We want to identify the original purchaser and trace the trail of ownership, if there is a trail of ownership."
The bodies were found Saturday afternoon at the condominium in Nashville's trendy Gulch area by a friend who shared the unit with McNair. Aaron said medical examiners think McNair and Kazemi "had been dead for hours prior to being discovered."
A woman who was raised as the sister of Kazemi disputed the notion that Kazemi might have killed McNair, then herself, in a murder-suicide.
Sepideh Salmani told The Tennessean in Nashville that her mother adopted Kazemi when Kazemi was 9, after her mother died in their native Iran. Salmani said Kazemi had shared details of her relationship with McNair.
Salmani told The Tennessean the two met at a local Dave & Buster's restaurant where Kazemi worked and "they exchanged phone numbers and started dating from there."
Kazemi, Salmani said, believed McNair was in the process of divorcing. "That's why she was like, 'OK, now you're divorcing. We can date,' " Salmani said. "He told her ... the whole divorce was going to be done, two weeks from yesterday."
The Tennessean reported a check of court records didn't indicate a divorce was pending in Nashville but a house of his there is for sale. McNair also owns a farm in his hometown of Mount Olive, Miss.; the Titans said in a statement that McNair split his time between Nashville and the farm in Mississippi.
Salmani said "all (Kazemi) was trying to do was have fun. I believe there is a third person involved" in the deaths.
Mechelle McNair hasn't spoken to reporters since her husband's slaying. Aaron described her as distraught.
Fans remember the player
For decades, Nashville sports fans have sounded off on radio shows hosted by George Plaster, and they did so again Saturday as word of McNair's slaying spread. What made it different for Plaster was that from his studio he could see crowds gathered outside the building where McNair's body was found.
"I could have thrown a football from our studio to where it actually happened," Plaster said. "During commercials, I could go to the window and see what was going on. It was eerie."
Mourning fans passed by the condominium building in a steady stream, Plaster said, as about 25 police officers guarded the scene. The area was particularly congested because fireworks were scheduled nearby and crowds were gathering around the Cumberland River.
"Nobody was saying anything," Plaster said. "For what was supposed to be a celebration, it felt like a funeral."
While taking calls from his audience, Plaster said, there was virtually no reference to McNair having an affair. "Everybody had a version of the same story — that I met Steve McNair, I was nervous and before I knew it we started laughing and it was like we were friends forever," Plaster said. "There have been a lot of people in this community who have been touched by good things he's done. ... What always struck me about him was it didn't matter if you were the king of England or a janitor, he treated everybody the same."
Donna Doss, 44, an interior designer in Nashville and a Titans season ticketholder since 1999, has a helmet McNair autographed at a party where, she said, "He was only paying attention to his wife."
"I will always love him. He was a warrior, and he always gave us 110%," Doss said of McNair, who played nine years in Tennessee after the Houston Oilers moved.
As for the infidelity question, Doss said, "I am definitely disappointed in him. I just thought he would be different than others. I was really shocked to find out he had a girlfriend, especially one so young."
Although McNair's life had a scandalous final chapter, Titans fans seemed determined to remember him mainly for what he did on Sunday afternoons.
"I think that whatever they find out, people will still remember what he stood for on the field," said season ticketholder Jackie Tune, who was with friends on the Tennessee River when the news broke.
McNair's charitable and community efforts were considerable. He helped fund Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, had an annual turkey giveaway at Thanksgiving through his foundation and hosted football camps in Nashville and his native Mississippi.
His Steve McNair Foundation provides financial assistance to Boys and Girls Clubs in Mississippi and Tennessee, and his community programs were a factor in him being selected the Nashville Sports Council's Sports Person of the Year for 2001-03.
Saturday and Sunday, many fans left flowers, notes and cards outside the Steve McNair's Gridiron9 restaurant, which opened recently in Nashville, near Tennessee State University.
But perhaps what McNair will be remembered for most is his unflinching performance on the football field. He passed for more than 30,000 yards in a 13-year NFL career that ended with two seasons with the Baltimore Ravens (2006-07). His passing proficiency earned him the nickname "Air McNair" and helped him set NCAA yardage records, but he also had a reputation as a daring runner who willingly took on tacklers and who was big and tough enough to play linebacker.
"Steve was an absolute warrior as a player and brought that mind-set to the team," former Titans safety Blaine Bishop said. "Whether he was hurt or not, he was going to give us everything he had. He was the toughest player that I ever played with ... and a great man off the field ... a good country boy who was always laughing and smiling."
Titans backup quarterback Vince Young was mentored by McNair, whom Young called "Pops" because of the father-son nature of their relationship.
"I'm still in shock since hearing the news," Young said in a statement released by the team. "Since I was a teenager, he was like a father to me. I hear his advice in my head with everything I do. Life will be very different without him."
A nurse at home
McNair met his wife at Alcorn State, where McNair finished third in Heisman Trophy voting his senior year. Despite having a millionaire husband, Mechelle earned a nursing degree at Belmont University in Nashville and put her studies to work on him.
During his NFL career, she wrapped his ankles, knees and ribs and gained expertise about turf toe.
"When I'm achy, she helps me a lot," McNair said in 2003. "It's been a good investment, and it will last a lifetime."
At the time, Mechelle told USA TODAY she was determined to have a career option despite her husband's success.
"Nothing is ever guaranteed in life," she said then. "If I have to go out and work and put my skills to work, I can. There's no guarantee that Steve and I are going to be together forever."