"I don't think he's doing that, but I want him to see me doing something where he feels like he has a drive." [47] The police later stated that after being released from jail, Kazemi purchased the gun from a convicted murderer she met while looking for a buyer for her Kia. She always worried where he was. Mechelle had always considered herself a private person. Brett Favre and Ray Lewis and Jay Cutler showed up for the funeral. That drove Mechelle nuts, the waking up in the middle of the night. There was one problem: His heart wasn't in it anymore, and he wanted to dance instead. Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair (9) scrambles during the Titans' 30-17 win over the Atlanta Falcons in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Dec. 19, 1999. . And I don't feel like that's how God wants us to be.". He was known as one of the toughest men in football, playing through myriad injuries. When people say that to me, I'm always like, 'Where are they getting this from?' I know how it is when you ain't got nothing,and I never believed that I would be in this position to help other people," said Lucille. Courtesy Mechelle McNair. So he would sacrifice his bodyto try and help his team and his teammates," said Lucille. Tyler believes it's the same thing his dad would have said. But McNair was persistent. Trent, who was 5, rested his head on his mother's lap during the service. Death of Mechelle's Husband, Steve McNair. Ludacris, FloRida and Ashanti; Thursday, July 20. and in junior high they started doing,and I saidsomething is not right about this. Steve McNair was born on Valentine's Day, and he died on the Fourth of July. It was nearly 11 years ago when former Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair was found dead next to a young woman in a downtown Nashville condo. She had plenty to cheer about by the time the franchise moved to Tennessee in 1997. One of the popular celebrity wives, Mechelle McNair, is best-known as the wife of late Steve McNair. (She was never a suspect). The transition from football player to businessman was not smooth. 'Bud' Adams, Jr. Judy Winslow Was an Integral Part of the 'Family Matters' Dynamic. "I can't say that I didn't have my bitter moments. The 45 acre 6 bedroom ranch in Collins, MS was built by McNair for his mother; a gift to a woman, who as a single mom raised 5 rowdy boys in poor, rural Mississippi. The night of his death, McNair put his children to bed, then at 11:00p.m. he texted Kazemi "On my way. Mechelle tied the knot with Steve on 21 June 1997 in front of their close friends and relatives as their wedding ceremony was held privately at Vicksburg, Mississippi. St. Louis scored the first 16 points as McNair struggled . It would not go away. Mechelle McNair married to Steve McNair on 1997 and divorce on 2009. There were many people at McNair's funeral who vowed to be there for Tyler and Trent. On the final play of the game, McNair's pass to Dyson was complete, but Dyson was unable to break the plane of the goal line, giving the Rams the win. "I mean, I'm here by myself. But I'm not going to hell blaming somebody or having the hate and animosity in my heart. "[People] always say, 'Oh, I admire you so much. He ran to the kitchen and got a knife. For many, the pain still lingers and will never go away. She made faces at him to try to get him to stop. According to Piller, Trent hit five 3-pointers. "Lucille was a single mother,raising five rambunctious boys. ". He was a tenacious defender who helped his team win two state championships. "They were slipping and playing football on the peewee team. Named to the Pro Bowl for the first time, McNair sat out the game due to a shoulder injury.[15]. Nine years after Mechelle McNair's world caved in, her oldest son, Tyler, is going to NYU on an academic scholarship. In 2001, McNair registered career passing highs in yards (3,350), completions (264), touchdowns (21), and quarterback rating (90.2). McNair set career records for the Football Championship Series with 14,496 passing yards, as well as the division record for total offensive yards with 16,823 career yards. She always worried where he was. George Gojkovich/Getty Images Maybe she could do that. Funeral services were held for McNair at the Reed Green Coliseum on the campus of the University of Southern Mississippi on July 11; he was buried at Griffith Cemetery in Prentiss, Mississippi. She doesn't want to be a hindrance to him. "Don't go," Tyler and Trent told him. [39][40][41] After killing him, Kazemi sat on the couch beside him and shot herself in the temple. At the time, it was considered one of the biggest funerals in the state. Tyler tells her everything, even the stuff that can get him grounded. He will want to spend more time with his friends, not his mom. But it gets worse, she told Steve's mom to pay $3,000 rent or get the hell out! Everyone changed. The pressure to be Steve McNair's son weighs heavily. He ran his finger through the print and sounded out the words he knew. Mechelle didn't particularly want to go to such a tiny school. Late in the season, he also appeared briefly against the Detroit Lions and New York Jets. Fred and Timboth played football, and younger brother Steve was magic,in both footballand baseball. A post shared by Tyler McNair (@_tylahh_). To Mechelle, he was sort of a gentle giant, romantic enough to hide an engagement ring in a piece of strawberry cake, country enough to skin a deer and cook it up for his teammates. His total offense averages were 571 y/g over 11 games. "They ain't got nothing,he would say. I don't want to be here by myself. In 2013, she sold their 13,000-square-foot house and moved to a smaller home. OLIVE, MS (Mississippi News Now) - He led the Tennessee Titans to Super Bowl XXXIV, went to three Pro Bowls, was All-Pro once, threw 174 touchdowns against 119 interceptions, had 31,304 yards passing, and had an impressive 60.1 career completion percentage. [20] By May of 2006, the Baltimore Sun reported that the Baltimore Ravens were interested in McNair. He told Mechelle that the alarm was going off at his restaurant, but she knows now that Kazemi was probably the one who called. "I'm finally doing something I love, and I was happy year-round. The boys are constantly chasing a ghost, a man who, in death, is still the biggest sports legend in Nashville. To Mechelle, he was sort of a gentle giant, romantic enough to hide an engagement ring in a piece of strawberry cake, country enough to skin a deer and cook it up for his teammates. "I feel like I'm just living. I do know that. Times when the family would pair up in teams and wrestle, Mechelle and Tyler on one side; Trent and Steve on the other. The fact that he was the quarterback everyone on campus was talking about held no currency with Mechelle. Stephen LaTreal McNair (February 14, 1973 July 4, 2009),[2] nicknamed "Air McNair",[3][4] was an American professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the Houston / Tennessee Oilers / Titans franchise. "I didn't know about her at all," Mechelle says. Steve McNair Jr.was still in high school when his dad died, starring on the gridiron at Oak Grove High School in Hattiesburg. God and her friends and family who cooked and took the kids swimming and handled everything. When he's at school, he FaceTimes with her at least once a day, so it's almost as if she sees him more when he's in New York. Not only did he always keep them safe and well-provided for, but he was also present when needed. It is a misdemeanor offense in Tennessee for an owner of a motor vehicle to knowingly allow an intoxicated person to drive the vehicle. When he's at school, he FaceTimes with her at least once a day, so it's almost as if she sees him more when he's in New York. When McNair was alive, if one of the boys was struggling with a batting stance or a shot, he could go outside, spend 30 minutes with him and get it figured out. McNair's first season as the Oilers' starter in 1997 (the team's first year in Tennessee) resulted in an 88 record for the team, which played its home games at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tennessee. Nine years later, it's still hard for him to talk about McNair. She never imagined she'd leave Mississippi after college to move to Houston with a man who had just been selected at No. Tyler believes it's the same thing his dad would have said. She had one job: to raise their sons. A few months after his death, the restaurant was sold. He made his first playoff start as a Raven against the Colts on January 13, 2007. The old home had too many memories. She merely wanted to grieve her loss in private. He was also named First-Team All-SWAC for the third year in a row. [33], His cousin is NFL linebacker Demario Davis. Tyler tells her everything, even the stuff that can get him grounded. When you walk into Lucille McNair's memory room,it's hard not be overwhelmed with the accomplishments of her sons, especially the oneknown as Steve "Air" McNair; alegacy she says beganwhen Steve was a young boy,following in the footsteps of his older brother Fred. Tyler graduated from Brentwood in the spring. Thank you for subscribing! And it was in the sports arenathat the McNair boys shined. He told them to find something they loved and do it well. Her husband would have done things differently. She knew how much potential he had. "Honestly, the most I've ever felt like a child is this year," Tyler says. [51], McNair died without a last will and testament, and his assets were frozen pending probate of his estate. He could see McNair smiling and telling his boy, "Good job, Buddy. I do know that. So, there is not much information about what she do for a living. He was 36 when he died, and he had just opened Gridiron9, a catfish-and-burger joint in north Nashville. He said he couldn't live without his daddy and wanted to kill himself. I'm just pushing forward. "You're going to have people who say, 'Oh, she knew.' But he could be there for McNair's boys. Times when McNair would take the boys out on his motorcycle and they didn't even need to talk. Piller, a former guard for the Titans, was one of McNair's pallbearers. McNair left a large estate behind that's in probate in both Tennessee and Mississippi. Deadly Recall: Air McNair is an episode that examines the life, slaying, and aftermath of renowned NFL quarterback Stephen McNair, who died at the age of 36 and left behind a shocked family and fanbase. I can't wallow in it. She and her sons settled into a house surrounded by trees and the occasional deer that plops down in the middle of the yard. Mechelle is 45 now, and she does not look old enough to be dropping a son off at college. The enormity of his death cannot be overstated. The man who had taken epidurals and basically crawled around in pain six days a week but somehow played football on Sundays couldn't be gone. At that point, Mechelle had a boyfriend and was only focused on pursuing a career in the medical field as a doctor. Editor's note: Sports Illustrated is releasing a podcast examining the death of former Titans quarterback . ", McNair was known as one of the toughest players in the NFL. The other two are from previous relationships. Sometimes, when she's rushing to a game or going to Bible study, it hits her -- the absence of tears and drama, the return to normal. Mechelle grabbed him and told him to stop. "He was a good dad. Freshman year, she had a human anatomy class with McNair, and he spent most of it staring at her. When his father passed away, Steve McNair Jr. was a star wide receiver at Oak Grove High School in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. We've joined the BHM Digital family of websites and have updated our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. But,according to his mother,that was just a fraction of who Steve McNair was. You may remember, on July 4, 2009, NFL star Steve McNair was fatally shot by his mistress, Sahel Kazemi (seen below), in a murdersuicide. I feel like I'm the weakest person sometimes. The Titans held a two-day memorial at LP Field on July 8 and 9, 2009, where fans could pay their last respects to McNair. How was she feeling? "I don't want to be alone," she says. Everyone changed. Mu was the one who took them to father-son breakfasts and NBA games. A few months after his death, the restaurant was sold. This past summer, Mechelle and her sons visited Lucille in Mississippi. "I know he's in his head," Steve would tell Mechelle. By continuing to use this site, you agree to our updated Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. And on the gridiron,he was magic. And I don't feel like that's how God wants us to be." He said he had to go, and kissed the boys goodbye. She was so happy at the end of their talk, when he said she could attend the next employee meeting. We care about your data. He did annoying things, peeking at her test answers, sticking his giant feet on her book bag. She keeps McNair's football memorabilia in the basement, where Trent dribbles his basketball and Tyler practices his dance moves. Trent shows flashes of great talent at quarterback, but he won't play the position. They hug, and Tyler wants to tell her something before she goes back home to Tennessee. Initially, she did not believe her husband was dead. In his senior season, McNair gained 6,281 combined yards rushing (904) and passing (5,377), along with 56 touchdowns. "He would just come home and be, like, dead," Tyler says. He was drafted third overall by the Titans (then known as the Houston Oilers) in 1995, becoming the team's regular starting quarterback in 1997, their first season in Tennessee (though he started six games over the prior two seasons in Houston), and remained the starting quarterback for the Titans through 2005. Mechelle McNair filed the lawsuit last week against Vincent Hill, a cameraman known as John Doe, Crime Watch Daily, and one of the show's employees, Andrew Isom. It had been a long time since they'd been there. 3 in the NFL draft. He pushed an air mattress beside Tyler's bed when his brother was home and slept there. "You're going to have people who say, 'Oh, she knew.' "Everyone went to college and I bought them a bible and I told them,God come first, books come second and their sports come next," said Lucille. She is a spiritual woman who thanks God every morning for waking up and for allowing the rest of her family to wake up, too. Kazemi then lay down beside him and fired a bullet into her head. In his last days, McNair seemed overwhelmed at times, almost as if he was at a crossroads, Mechelle says. Merrill: The dilemma of how to mourn McNair Eventually, he grew on her. Visit Us: MarriedCeleb To Know More About Celebrity Wife. "What's my purpose? Though McNair was an NFL quarterback, he never wanted to force football or sports on his children. She made faces at him to try to get him to stop. ", Though McNair was an NFL quarterback, he never wanted to force football or sports on his children. Before she met McNair, Mechelle never thought she would get married. [24] The quarterback's charge was dropped on July 10, 2007 when McNair's brother-in-law pleaded guilty to reckless driving.[25]. He made a mistake. Omissions? I've been there." Mechelle says she could hear Steve's footsteps in the house sometimes. She doesn't want to go through any more pain. [6], McNair had two sons by Mechelle: Tyler and Trenton; and two sons Steve LaTreal McNair Jr. and Steven O'Brian McNair by two other women before they married. Steve McNair was buried on a Saturday in his home state of Mississippi. In his senior year alone, he set a single-season FCS mark by totaling 5,799 yards and finished third in the balloting for the 1994 Heisman Trophy. At the time, it was considered one of the biggest funerals in the state. "I look at Tyler," she says, "and he knows exactly what his passion is. It's the most I've felt like a regular person, like nothing has happened.". He told them to find something they loved and to do it well. "I think it was important for [Lucille] because you see a part of your son you lost," Mechelle says. He leaned on his mother, Mechelle, and Tyler, at left. In the process, he surpassed more than a dozen records and was named an All-American. She never played. He was still trying to figure out his world outside of football. But she put off doing the paperwork, and Alcorn was the school that offered her a scholarship. Twitter wasn't a factor yet, but there were plenty of media outlets to feed off of the stunning story of a Tennessee football hero killed by 20-year-old Sahel Kazemi, a woman with whom he'd been having an affair. Yes. Eventually, there will be more goodbyes. She would wonder, later, about signs. His early death became fodder for tabloids: the married McNair was found dead in a condominium alongside a woman he had been dating whom police believed killed him and then herself. As a matter of fact, Steve shares two children named Steve LaTreal McNair Jr. and Steven O' Brian McNair with two other women whose names are not disclosed. Mechelle could handle algebra and first crushes, but sometimes, a boy needs a male figure in his life. Powered by WordPress.com VIP. What we admired most about Steve when we played against him was his competitive spirit, and we were lucky enough to have that with us for two years. They got married in Vicksburg, Mississippi, in 1997, and a year later, Tyler came along. She never imagined she'd leave Mississippi after college to move to Houston with a man who had just been selected at No. McNair and Colts quarterback Peyton Manning were named co-NFL MVPs following the 2003 season, which ended for the Titans in a playoff loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion New England Patriots. I don't want to be here by myself. Here, let's have a glance over her marital life with her late husband. In December of the 2003 season, an injured calf and ankle kept McNair sidelined for two games, though he still finished with the best numbers of his career, including 3,215 passing yards, 24 touchdown passes, just seven interceptions,[17] and a quarterback rating of 100.4. Times when McNair would take the boys out on his motorcycle and they didn't even need to talk. He had four brothers, Fred, Jason, Michael, and Tim. [9], With the third overall pick in the 1995 NFL Draft, the Houston Oilers and new head coach Jeff Fisher selected McNair, making him at the time the highest-drafted African-American quarterback in NFL history and signing him to a seven-year contract. He split time between his home in Nashville and his farm in Collins, Mississippi. Here was an NFL quarterback one season into retirement, a former co-MVP and a Super Bowl participant, murdered. Piller downplays his involvement. "If you put them out thereto throw passes,they looked the same. He was quiet until you knew him, and he waited a while to talk to her. She stood up, the pain radiated from the right side of her skull, and she had to lie back down. Nobody knew where he was. She wanted to see him so she could help him. According to the last reports, Mechelle never remarried but is dating, and she received a degree in nursing years ago. Somehow, he seared his hands. 27 Jerseys at Sunday's Game", "Remembering 'Air McNair' NCAA Football", "Shooting Unveils Very Different Sides of Ex-NFL Quarterback Steve McNair", "McNair helped bring stability and success to vagabond franchise", "MVP Patrick Mahomes is now part of the legendary black quarterback fraternity", "MLB Amateur Draft Picks with the Name Matching: mcnair", "Devlin Hodges notches FCS mark with 14,584 career passing yards", "Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Oilers - December 8th, 1996 - Pro-Football-Reference.com", Notes: Favre backs McNair; Leinart hires Condon, Judge: Officer didn't have 'sufficient basis' to stop McNair for DUI, "NFL players from historically black colleges", "McNair visits Titans, doesn't have animosity over parting National Football League", McNair introduced as Ravens' new starting QB, "McNair's case to be heard today in Tenn", McNair could have playoff impact in Baltimore, "A Look Back at the Career of Steve McNair", "McNair Says Goodbye to Ravens, National Football League", "NFF Announces Storied 2020 College Football Hall of Fame Class Presented by ETT", "Former Titans' QB opens Nashville restaurant", "Demario Davis Remembers His Cousin, Steve McNair", "Police: Steve McNair death is apparent murder-suicide", "Woman's gun ID'd in Steve McNair death, but questions linger", "Sahel Kazemi and Steve McNair Final Texts Show Worries of Love and Money", "Tenn. police rule ex-QB McNair's death a homicide", "Autopsy planned for slain NFL star Steve McNair", "ESPN A Football Life The tragic passing of Steve McNair", "Police Release 911 Tapes in Steve McNair Case", "Coroner: Steve McNair a Victim of Murder-Suicide", "Police: McNair mistress knew gun seller for weeks", "The 2009 Murder of Steve McNair: Jenni Kazemi had known man who sold gun to her", "Statement From Titans Owner K.S. Her mother, Melzena Cartwright, saw the news on TV. He had four brothers, Fred, Jason, Michael, and Tim. He kissed Mechelle and told her he loved her, too. McNair played in all sixteen games in 2000 but did not start the first of two annual games against the Steelers. A post shared by Trent McNair (@trentmac9). Eventually, he grew on her. "Mama," Mechelle asked, "do you think it's true?". "He was a good dad. She doesn't want to be a hindrance to him. She had hoped to go to Southern Miss. On the morning of July 4, 2009, Mechelle McNair woke up with a crushing headache. [9] An All-State selection (offense), McNair was named an All-American by Super Prep magazine (defense). The enormity of his death cannot be overstated. [7] McNair was the first AfricanAmerican quarterback to win AP NFL MVP and remains, along with Cam Newton, Patrick Mahomes, and Lamar Jackson, only one of four to win the award. This past summer, Mechelle and her sons visited Lucille in Mississippi. Former Titans Chris Johnson and Vince Young took the boys to the locker room, just as their dad had done. The Titans opened the playoffs at home against the Buffalo Bills in a Wild Card game, winning on the "Music City Miracle" and eventually advancing to Super Bowl XXXIV in a rematch with the Rams. She wanted to be a doctor and wanted one child, but she didn't think much about a partner. But McNair was persistent. Yet, Steves persistence and personality won her over, so she found herself leaving the state with him after graduation to support his NFL career. But if I'm playing basketball, I kind of look up there and tell her to sshhhhh." Tyler and Trent immediately flipped into kid mode, running around with their cousins, sprawling out on sleeping bags at bedtime, swearing they'd stay up all night. She had plans. When a parent dies young and leaves behind children, people make promises. He told them to find something they loved and to do it well. As they enter new stages of their lives, they wonder what their father would think. He says that McNair would do the same thing for him, and that what he does isn't much. The boys call Mu "Uncle Mike." How do you think she was feeling? In 2019, he claimed that neither he nor his elder brother was invited to the ceremony where his fathers jersey was retired. I don't. Peep the video below. After the death of her husband, she has not married nor has any relationship with other men. The last full conversation he had with Mechelle centered on the restaurant's nightly receipts constantly being off and her desire to help. "Nope," she says. McNair missed nine more games during the rest of the season, due primarily to injury, only starting in six games. She got on the elliptical machine, hoping some exercise would get rid of the headache. He didn't just turn out all right. Those assets included the million dollar mansion he had built for his mother, Lucille, to live in during her twilight years. He was found dead with the body of a young woman, Sahel Kazemi, in a rented house at 105 Lea Avenue in downtown Nashville. Stephen Steve LaTreal McNair fathered his namesake and Steven OBrian McNair through different relationships before he met, fell in love, and tied the knot with his only wife, Mechelle McNair, on June 21, 1997. Nine years later, it's still hard for him to talk about McNair. Nobody knew where he was. Her children had never seen her like that. A "True Crimes with Aphrodite Jones" episode filmed in 2013 even pointed suspicion at her. 3 in the NFL draft. Similarly, Tyler James McNair was born in 1999 and is currently 20 years old. Here Are The 7 Best Date Night Restaurants in Cleveland! He felt comfortable in the country, near his siblings and his mother, Lucille. Aside from kid functions and dinners out, she lived the life of a homebody. Wade Payne/AP Photo. Mrs. McNair talked about the time Steve, not yet a teen, was raking leaves and burning them in the yard. George Clark/Hattiesburg American POOL/Getty Images. He made a mistake. Steve McNair, in full Steve LaTreal McNair, byname Air McNair, (born February 14, 1973, Mount Olive, Mississippi, U.S.died July 4, 2009, Nashville, Tennessee), American gridiron football player who threw 174 touchdown passes during his 13 National Football League (NFL) seasons (1995-2008), primarily while playing for the Tennessee Titans. Over the course of his NFL career, McNair passed for 31,304 yards, rushed for 3,590 yards, played in three Pro Bowls, and was named joint Most Valuable Player in 2003, along with Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning. She noticed her husband wasn't home and made a number of phone calls trying to find him. He ran to the kitchen and got a knife. We are saddened and shocked to hear the news of Steve McNair's passing today. But she put off doing the paperwork, and Alcorn was the school that offered her a scholarship. I'm not going to do it.". In 2013, she sold their 13,000-square-foot house and moved to a smaller home. After all, her sons are almost grown-up. "I think that [Trent] would be attached to his dad." But I'm not going to hell blaming somebody or having the hate and animosity in my heart. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Regarding Steve McNair", "McNair's funeral draws thousands in Mississippi", "Steve McNair and the Perils of Dying Without a Will", "Tenn. Judge Gives McNair's Widow, Children $500k each", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Steve_McNair&oldid=1152382932, Career statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 29 April 2023, at 22:36. Pat Boone, a singer from the 1950s, eventually bought the home. Thus, all of Steves assets were left to her. Ex-Tennessee tight end Bo Scaife filled Tyler's closet with sneakers. "I loved him. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Steve-McNair, Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame - Steve McNair, Pro Football History - The Life And Career Of QB Steve McNair. They got married in Vicksburg, Mississippi, in 1997, and a year later, Tyler came along. It's the most I've felt like a regular person, like nothing has happened."
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