Jul 17 2009
J-Speaks: Many Saying Goodbye to a Beloved Football Player
This past Saturday, friends, family and former NFL teammates and opponents gathered at the Reed Green Coliseum at the campus of The University of Southern Mississippi for the conclusion of a five-day remembrance of former NFL quarterback Steve McNair who lost his life back on Saturday morning of July 4 by his girlfriend.
McNair who played 11 seasons for the Tennessee Titans and his final two years with the Baltimore Ravens was found dead along with his girlfriend Sahel Kazemi inside a Nashville condominium that he leased. McNair was 36 years old and Kazemi was 20. He leaves behind his wife of 12 years Mechelle and four sons Steve Jr., Steven, Tyler and Trenton.
It began at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Nashville last Thursday evening. A public visitation then took place at Mt. Olive in Mississippi. It concluded with a service at Reed Green Coliseum at the University of Southern Mississippi which was attended by 8,000 people, one of the largest funerals in the history of the state of Mississippi. The McNair family rented buses to bring people from Mt. Olive to hear the 13-year veteran signal caller eulogized. A private burial followed the service.
McNair had been seeing the past six months. He first came into contact with her back in January at a Dave & Buster’s where she worked waitress and where he and his family often ate.
At first, the crime was called a homicide, but Nashville Police were reluctant to label it as a murder-suicide. That was until the Nashville Assistant Medical Examiner found gunpowder residue on Kazemi’s hands.
In a statement that Nashville Police Chief Ronal Serpas made to the media on Wednesday, he said that it is believed that while McNair was asleep on the sofa, Kazemi shot him in the right temple, twice in the chest and one final time in the left temple. She then positioned herself next to McNair on the sofa and shot herself once in the right temple.
Further linking the murder-suicide to Kazemi was according to a story from the Associated Press that the five shell cases that were recovered matched the semiautomatic handgun that Kazemi purchased for $100 last Thursday evening from a friend in the Dave & Buster’s parking lot, according to police.
Serpas also talked about how the tragedy that took place over the many stresses that Kazemi had faced in the last five to seven days of her life. One of those stresses was whether or not that her relationship with McNair, who she met six months ago at Dave and Buster’s Restaurant where she worked as a waitress and where he often brought his family, was unraveling.
“We can’t put ourselves in the mind of people who do these terribly irrational acts, but we do believe that there’s evidence that she was spinning out of control,” Serpas said.
According to statement that Kazemi’s nephew Farzin Abdi told the Associated Press, she had introduced McNair to him and that he was divorcing from his wife of and that it would be finalized very soon.
There have been no court records of any divorce proceedings and Mechelle had no idea who Kazemi was and in the Wednesday edition of The Tennessean, a close friend of McNair’s said that the reason that their 14,000-square-foot home was up for sale for a listed amount of $3 million was because the family was looking to move to a different neighborhood.
Things began to unravel when Kazemi planned to meet McNair in Las Vegas for a three-day romantic getaway in mid-June according to the New York Post. Kazemi hoped that the trip would bring them closer, but he never showed.
It only got worse when Kazemi spotted another woman with McNair leaving the condo that he purchased for her, seven days later.
On July 2, she was pulled over for speeding with McNair sitting in the passenger side. Kazemi was charged with driving under the influence (DUI) and instead of McNair trying to aide her, he jumped into a cab and left.
Despite bailing her out of jail, Kazemi had reached her breaking point and one day before she shot McNair she told an associate, according to police that, “My life is a ball of s—, and I should end it all.” She did exactly that the next day.
This was a far cry from the start of their relationship when he helped her move into the lavish condo and buying her gifts, which included covering a down payment on a black 2007 Cadillac Escalade. They went on trips to Hawaii and his farm in Mississippi.
It seemed like that Kazemi found someone she was going to be with forever. A far cry from a six-year rollercoaster relationship with her ex Keith Norfleet, a White Castle manager she moved with from Florida to Nashville after they dropped out of high school.
On top of that, the Iranian girl lost her father when she was nine and became an orphan when her mother was murdered during a robbery.
Kazemi and her sisters found a way to move to Turkey and then resettled in Florida with the assistance of the United Nations.
McNair’s sudden passing was both shocking to the entire NFL community, particularly those of the Titans who played with and knew the former 3rd overall pick by the then Houston Oilers back in the 1995 NFL Draft.
“The Steve that I knew if he were here right now would want me to say Mechelle I love you. To Tyler, Trenton, Steven and Steve I love you. The Steve McNair that I knew would want me to say I’m sorry. I’m not perfect. We all make decisions sometimes that are not in the best interest. Please forgive me,” Titans head coach Jeff Fisher said on Monday.
“I’ve known him for 15 years. I endured wins and losses, joy, laughter, sadness. I watched one of the greatest competitors of all-time on the field do whatever it took to stay on the field. I watched one of the greatest teammates you could ever have be a teammate to everybody. I will miss him as you all will miss him.”
One of those teammates that had great respect for McNair both on the field and off was former Titans running back Eddie George, who could not believe what, happened to him.
“I’m saddened by the loss of a dear friend and I’m not in a position to be judged by anyone or to be judged,” George said back on July 6 to reporters.
“I know the type of person Steve is. I know the type of father he was. He was a dedicated father. He was very involved in all of his son’s lives and he was committed to us. Committed to the community and we all make mistakes that we all wish we could go back on, but I’m not here to dwell on that. I’m here to celebrate the life of a dear friend and teammate.”
McNair began his football journey at Mount Olive High School in Mississippi where he played quarterback and free safety. He also participated in baseball, basketball and track and field. In his junior season of 1990, McNair led Mt. Olive to a state title. In that same season, he played free safety where he intercepted 15 passes, bringing his total to 30, which tied him with former NFL defensive back Terrell Buckley, who accomplished those same feet at Pascagoula High School. For being an All-State selection, McNair was named a high school All-American by Super Prep magazine.
McNair then moved on to Alcorn State, a historically black college/university (HBCU) that competed in NCAA Division I-AA, which is today known, was the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). In his four seasons as the Braves signal caller, he set the NCAA record for career yardage of 16,823 and passing yards per contest of 400.55. In 1992, McNair threw for 3,541 yards, 29 touchdowns through the air and 10 scores rushing leading his team to a 7-4 record. McNair helped Alcorn State to an 8-3 record a year later throwing for more than 3,000 yards and 30 touchdowns, while also being named First-Team All-SWAC for the third consecutive season. He saved the best season for his last one.
As a senior, the Mount Olive native gained 6,000 yards in on the ground and in the air, while also scoring 53 touchdowns. He also in that span surpassed over a dozen records and was named an All-American. On top of that he won the Walter Payton Award as the top I-AA player and finished 3rd in the 1994 Heisman Trophy voting behind Rashaan Salaam and Ki-Jana Carter.
Off the field, McNair was a member of the college fraternity of Omega Psi Phi. He would highlight that allegiance by tattooing “Omega Man” on his arm.
In 1995, McNair would begin the next phase of his football journey as he became the highest drafted African American quarterback as the then Houston Oilers selected him 3rd overall. He would sign a seven-year contract. He would also be coached by Jeff Fisher who was promoted from interim head coach the final six games of the prior season.
While McNair had a decorated college career, he did not become the starter for the then Oilers until 1997 when the team played their home games at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tennessee.
In his first season as the Titans signal caller, McNair threw for 2,665 yards, the most since Hall of Famer Warren Moon in 1993 and his 13 interceptions were the fewest for a single season in franchise history. He lead the team in rushing scores with eight and was second to George in rushing yards with 674, the 3rd highest for a quarterback in NFL history.
The following season, McNair proved that he was not a one trick pony as he had 3,228 passing yards, 15 touchdowns as the team now settled in Nashville. He cut down his picks to 10 and his quarterback rating rose to 80.1.
In 1999, the Oilers officially became the Tennessee Titans and they finally had a new stadium Adelphia Coliseum, which is now LP Field.
In that season, McNair would miss five games because of an inflamed disk he suffered in a 36-35 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. In his place, back-up quarterback Neil, O’Donnell, helped guide the Titans to four victories in five tries. McNair returned against the St. Louis Rams and helped the Titans to a 7-2 finished to the season and a 13-3 record.
They would take that momentum into their Wild Card Playoff game versus the Buffalo Bills. They started strong taking a 12-0 lead into intermission. The Bills stormed back over the next two quarters as they took a 16-12 lead with just 16 seconds remaining. Bills’ kicker Steve Christie then kicked off to and Titans fullback Lorenzo Neal received, then handed it off to tight end Frank Wycheck and proceeded to throw a questionable lateral across the field to wide receiver Kevin Dyson who ran down the sideline 75 yards for the game-winning touchdown that gave Tennessee a 22-16 win.
The game was referred to as the “Music City Miracle” and the play which the Titans worked on in practice during the regular season was called by Special Teams coach Alan Lowry “Home Run Throwback.”
The Titans would take the momentum of that victory two Super Bowl XXXIV versus the St. Louis Rams. Trailing 22-16, the Titans were driving and on the final play of the contest, McNair under pressure managed to escape and threw a pass to Dyson, but he feel short of the goal line by one yard and Rams were World Champions.
While the Titans did not win the ultimate prize, McNair got a new six-year $47 million contract extension.
In the 2000 season, McNair posted his best numbers as a pro. He established career bests in passing yards (3,350), completions (264), touchdowns (21) and quarterback rating (90.2). Those numbers helped him make his first Pro Bowl. He led the Titans back to the playoffs with a 13-3 record and an American Football Conference (AFC) Central Division title. The team’s trip back to the Super Bowl was dashed as they lost to the Baltimore Ravens 24-10 in the AFC Divisional Playoff contest.
The Titans took a step backward in their quest for the ultimate prize in 2001 as their 7-9 record did not allow them to make the playoffs.
They would bounce back in a big way the next season when they finished with an 11-5 record and won the AFC South Division title. Their stellar record also earned them a first-round bye.
McNair also raised his overall game to another level as he had 3,387 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, just 15 interceptions and a quarterback rating of 84.0.
In their Divisional Playoff game versus the Pittsburgh Steelers, McNair threw for a playoff career best 338 yards and two touchdowns, while gaining 29 yards on the ground and scoring a rushing touchdown. The Titans defeated the Steelers in overtime 34-31 thanks to kicker Joe Nedney who kicked a game-winning field goal from 26 yards out with 2:15 left in the extra frame. He more than made up for missing a game-winning kick at the end of regulation and his first crack in the extra session was negated when Steelers defensive back Dewayne Washington was called for a running-into-the-kicker penalty that gave Nedney another opportunity, which he took advantage of.
Tennessee reached the AFC Championship Game for the second time in three seasons, but they lost at the Oakland Raiders 41-24.
In 2003, the Titans won the AFC South again going 12-4 and making the playoffs for the second straight season and the third time in the last four seasons. McNair despite missing two games with an injured calf and ankle finished with a career best 24 touchdown passes and a quarterback rating of 100.4 and he threw just seven interceptions. Those numbers along with the team’s stellar record helped McNair win his first Most Valuable Player Award of his career, which he shared with Indianapolis Colts signal caller Peyton Manning.
The high point of that season for McNair was his career best 421 yards passing and three touchdowns in an Oct. 12, 2003 home victory over the Houston Texans.
Their playoff journey began in the AFC Wild Card round at the Baltimore Ravens, where they defeated their arch rivals 20-17. Their season would end though at the hands of the eventual Super Bowl champion New England Patriots 17-14 thanks to the tie-breaking 46-yard field goal made by then Patriots ace kicker Adam Vinatieri with 4:06 left in regulation.
The 2003 NFL campaign would be the last in which the Titans made the playoffs with their Warrior signal caller under center as the next season an injury to his sternum that he suffered in the third game of the season versus the Jacksonville Jaguars allowed McNair to play in just eight games. He had his lowest numbers of his career since his sophomore season with just 1,343 passing yards and eight touchdowns. The team managed just five victories that season and failed to make the postseason.
While McNair’s numbers were much better in 2005 with 3,161 passing yards and 16 touchdowns, the Titans finished on the outside of the playoff pictures with a 4-12 season. It would end up McNair’s last season with the Titans when on June 7, 2006; the Ravens acquired him in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2007 Draft.
The trade paid immediate dividends for Baltimore as McNair helped the team finish with a 13-3 record and an AFC North title. He finished the season with 3,050 yards in the air with 16 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and an 82.5 quarterback rating. He played in and started all 16 contests for the Ravens.
He put his name into the team’s regular season history book as his 87-yard touchdown pass at the Kansas City Chiefs to wideout Mark Clayton was the longest in team history.
McNair could not lead Baltimore to the Super Bowl as the Ravens were defeated in the AFC Divisional Playoff contest versus the Colts 15-6. McNair in the game went 18 for 29 passing for just 173 yards and two interceptions and no touchdowns.
The next season, McNair’s injuries finally gave out on him and the Ravens suffered as the season went on. While he missed Week 2 versus the New York Jets, which the Ravens won 20-13 and did not play the full game versus the Arizona Cardinals, which the Ravens also won 26-23, the Ravens were 4-3 and in the thick of the playoff race in the AFC. However, the roof feel on the team’s season in a Week 9 Monday Night match up at the Steelers, that saw the Ravens fall to their AFC North rivals 38-7.
The Steelers’ defense allowed the Ravens only 104 total yards in team history. They turned the ball over four times and committed 11 penalties. The Ravens only touchdown came on a 33-yard run by running back Willis McGahee in the second quarter. McNair played horribly going 13 for 22 for only 63 yards, two interceptions and was constantly being pressured by Pittsburgh’s defense, mainly from linebacker James Harrison who garnered 10 total tackles, 3.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, two off of McNair and an interceptions. McNair was eventually pulled from the contest.
The Ravens lost that contest and would proceed to lose seven of their last eight to finish at 5-11 and missed the playoffs. After the season, McNair would announce his retirement in April of that year.
The NFL community lost not just a player would played well despite being in a lot of pain when he was in action, it lost a great person who knew what he needed to do as the head of not just the Titans and Ravens offense, but the face of those franchises and of the NFL. That was a mark that got great notice from former teammates, opponents and network broadcasters and analysts.
“The first day of my life of meeting Steve McNair, even through competition, I became a friend through fury. A man I fought against daily, day in and day out. Trying to figure out that it was not about technique against him,” Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis said at McNair’s funeral in Hattiesburg, MS on Saturday.
“No matter how much film you watched, film was not going to help you beat this man. You had to be built a certain way. You had to be built of will and heart and sacrifice and dedication. This is what this man left his four kings. He left a legacy.”
“I think the biggest thing that trumped it all was his intangibles,” former NFL defensive end and current ESPN NFL analyst Marcellus Wiley said. “How he led his team to victories. How he would go out there and say ‘You know what, I’m going to rally the troops by my play by putting my face, my chest forward and by making those plays.’ ”
“Steve McNair was a successful quarterback. One of the toughest QB’s I’ve ever scene play the game and a natural born leader,” says former NFL defensive tackle and ESPN NFL analyst Mike Golic.
“You’re defined a lot of times by getting on the field every Sunday and Steve McNair found a way to get on the field every Sunday.
While his play on the field did a lot in lifting the Titans and Ravens to prominence, he showed how African American quarterbacks can leaders of that team’s offense and the face of their franchises.
Since 1995, five other African American quarterbacks have been drafted very high. Current Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb was selected 2nd overall in the 1999 Draft out of Syracuse and Akili Smith was the 3rd selection by the Bengals out of Oregon. In 2001, Michael Vick, before his legal problems now was the first African American quarterback to be drafted No. 1 when he was selected by the Atlanta Falcons out of Virginia Tech in 2001. Five years later, the Titans selected Vince Young out of University of Texas in the same spot that they drafted McNair 11 years prior. Two years ago LSU gun slinger JaMarcus Russell became the second African American quarterback to go No. 1 overall in the 2007 draft.
While his future is up in the air with the Titans, if it was not for Steve McNair’s extension of friendship and advice in the beginning stages of his football life, Young would not be in the position and had the success he has had.
“I’m not even prepared to even talk because the fact is Steve was like a hero to me and heroes are not supposed to die,” Young said at the funeral in Hattiesburg, MS on Saturday.
“It’s just the memories and the thoughts and things me and Steve have been through behind closed doors that you all did not see. He has inspired me a whole lot. He has helped me on every decision I have made.”
He was a superstar player who cared about others. He was beloved by teammates, opponents, fans and ownership. He played great, even though most of the time he did not feel great. When he was named MVP, he shared that moment with another exceptional player who played behind center. While he never won a Super Bowl or get that call to be enshrined in the NFL Hall of Fame, Steve McNair’s NFL career and life will be etched in NFL lore for eternity.
Statistics, quotations and other information is courtesy of en.wikipedia.org; 7/6 4:30 p.m. edition of Jim Rome is Burning on ESPN; 7/6 4 p.m. edition of NFL Live on ESPN; television station WKRN & WTVF; 7/6 2:30 edition of ESPN’s 1st and 10; 7/8 4 p.m. & 8 p.m. & 7/13 4 p.m. edition of NFL Live on ESPN; 7/12 8 a.m. edition of Good Morning America Weekend; 7/5 & 7/7 edition of Newsday Sports section; 7/12 edition of the New York Post