Steve McNair: A Complex Man With An Early Ending

Oftentimes, a person’s formative year determines their personality and the challenges they will face for an entire lifetime. It’s hard to truly get to know someone like Steve McNair without looking at where he came from. 

The Early Years

Little Steve was born on February 14th, 1973, to his father, Selma, and his mother, Lucille, in Mount Olive, Mississippi. The town had 895 occupants as of 2020 and is self-described as a railroad town in the center of an agricultural region. Talk about small-town life. Baby Steve had four brothers: Fred, Jason, Michael, and Tim. They keep names simple in the McNair household. 

Selma McNair had five sons and decided to leave all of them and Lucille early on in Steve’s life. Being a single mother is tough anytime, but especially in the 1970s with five young sons to feed in a town of 1,000 in an “agricultural” region. McNair’s home has been described as “ramshackle,” or a small, tin-roofed house. Either way, it was no mansion. Money was tight as Lucille worked herself to the bone in a factory.

Fred McNair, the OG “Air McNair,” was the “dad” of the group as the eldest son. He mentored everyone, especially little Steve, who showed athletic prowess at a young age. You may have heard of Fred McNair; he was the head coach at Alcorn State from 2016 to 2023. He has been coaching at the college level since 2013. Fred taught his little brother everything he knew about football and about life. 

Air McNair II was an athletic savant. He played baseball, basketball, and football in high school. He was 6’2 and 220 pounds as a high school student, and he was a tank. McNair was setting records, both school and state, on the football team. He was really good at the other sports he played in too. For example, he threw a 90-mph baseball in high school. 

The College Years

The world was small-town Steve’s oyster. The Seattle Mariners drafted him out of high school; he was recruited by several basketball collegiate teams, and of course many football teams wanted him as well. With some guidance from Lucille and Fred, Steve was set on the football track. Now, where should he go? 

All of the best teams courted McNair—Ohio State, Louisiana State, Mississippi State, etc.—but they only wanted him if he played defense. Steve wanted to be a quarterback. He was in an overwhelmingly white position at the collegiate and professional level, even now, and he was entering college in the early 1990s. McNair didn’t have time for racism, so he followed his heart and stuck with the QB position. 

Steve McNair chose Alcorn State, an HBCU, where his brother Fred also starred at the quarterback position. Fred knew he would get a fair shake there. However, the NFL didn’t bring many players from HBCU’s, and they still don’t. It was a calculated risk. A Heisman trophy was also less likely to be won at an HBCU, especially 30 years ago. But as I say in my true crime sports podcast, when you know, you know.

Air McNair II balled out in college. He was named Southwestern Athletic Conference player of the year in his freshman year and led the nation in total offense as a sophomore. As a senior, he ended up in third place in line for the Heisman. A pulled hamstring that Steve played through limited his capabilities in his final year at Alcorn State. He still had 6,281 combined yards that year, along with 56 TDs and an average of 571 yards per game. 

Steve McNair Goes Professional

McNair was drafted third overall in the 1995 draft by the then-Houston Oilers. He was the highest-drafted black QB in the league ever. When he knew, he knew. In a move the NFL doesn’t do anymore, the Oilers did something called quarterback development. 

The Beginning

As in, he sat behind a veteran QB and learned from his coach and other mentors for a few seasons. Imagine that. McNair didn’t touch the turf as a starting QB until Game 15 of his second season in the NFL. When he did appear on the turf, his learning curve was strong, and he often looked unimpressive. By today’s standards, he would have been passed off as a dud. 

During his first year on the gridiron, McNair set career records high and set the Tennessee Oilers on fire. In 1997, he had 674 rushing yards, which was the third highest in the NFL in a game at that time. The following year, Steve McNair had a QB rating of 80.1 and was a force to be reckoned with on the now-known Tennessee Titans team. 

The injury bug bit McNair once again in 1999. A ruptured disk in his lower back meant that he couldn’t sit for more than 15 minutes at a time. Steve had mid-season surgery on his back, but came back just five weeks later. The advice (in 2022) was to avoid contact sports for 4-6 months. Not a great idea, McNair. 

Despite an ill-advised recovery time, Steve led his team to his first Super Bowl and then lost to the Rams. Steve McNair was the second black quarterback to start in a Super Bowl. 

The Middle

A sternum injury in 2000 and a shoulder injury in 2001 plagued Steve. The coaching staff had to help McNair off a plane in 2001 because he couldn’t do it himself due to a lower back injury that probably didn’t heal correctly in 1999. He also had several other injuries that limited his ability to move around effectively. You could never tell on the gridiron, though.

It’s not surprising to hear that McNair played hurt so often. He grew up with very little money, so losing out on his opportunity to start for too long may mean he finds himself replaced. Steve needed that money for himself and his family. Steve was also one of the first black quarterbacks; even now, black QBs have to do more for less. This would have been heightened 30 years ago. 

Despite limited mobility, Air McNair II had his most productive year of his career in 2001. He was also nominated for his first Pro Bowl that year. The Tennessee Titans looked into the future and saw McNair, extending his contract for six more years in 2001 for $47 million. 

In 2002, McNair was dealing with a turf toe, strained rib cartilage, and a sore thumb. He played through all of those injuries as well and led his team to the playoffs once again. That was the norm, not the exception, for Steve McNair. 

2003 was McNair’s best season ever. He was the league leader in passer ratings despite an injured calf and ankle injury. Steve was co-MVP with Peyton Manning that year. The Tennessee Titans once again made it to the Super Bowl but lost against the New England Patriots, who were on their way to starting their dynasty. 

The End

2004 was the beginning of the end for Air McNair II’s football career. The injuries overtook an “aging” quarterback. The back and the sternum couldn’t hold up the same anymore. The Titans showed who they were as a team when they literally locked Steve McNair out of team headquarters in 2006. If McNair got hurt on-site, they would have to pay him over $20 million, and they didn’t need that headache. 

Ultimately, the NFLPA worked with Steve, and an arbitrator said they either had to let him work out on-site or trade him. After a little contract play, McNair became a Baltimore Raven in 2006. His time in Baltimore was anti-climatic and injury-ridden. Air McNair II retired in 2007, officially ending his 13-year career in the NFL. He was a three-time Pro Bowler. 

Let’s Get Personal

Steve McNair is far more complex off the field than on.

The Public Side

In his best light, Steve was a doting son, husband, and father. He married his wife Michelle in 1997, and they were still married when he passed away in 2009. He doted on his children and was an active parent. 

The New Orleans Saints Demario Davis is Air McNair II’s cousin, albeit much younger. Davis is just now 35. The NFL linebacker was also raised in the middle of nowhere in Mississippi.

Post-retirement Steve McNair hit the ground running. He started a business called Gridiron 9 in Nashville. Who wouldn’t want to grab a bite from one of the most talented quarterbacks of all time?

The Darker Side

Family

On the other hand, Steve McNair was, of course, an adulterer, which we will get into later. He was not subtle with his infidelity, taking his 20-year-old mistress around to different vacations in popular tourist destinations. McNair was also cozy with his mistress’s family, telling the young lady that he would divorce his old lady for her. He allegedly told a friend the same thing as well.

Steve found his love interest in Dave and Busters, where she worked as a waitress. Sahel “Jenni” Kazemi was star-struck by the famous former footballer who came in rolling with cash and had a habit of tipping. Apparently, over time, Jenni became more financially dependent on her boyfriend and grew more isolated and despondent.

McNair was reportedly a wonderful father to his two sons, Michelle, Tyler, and Trenton. He was less engaged with his two sons from pre-marriage relationships, Steve Jr. and Steven. I find it a bit difficult to completely judge Steve’s struggle to be a good husband and father. His father was no example. Fred was too young to be in a serious relationship when he was “raising” Steve. We expect better, but sometimes it’s understandable when our parents fall short. 

Drinking Irresponsibly

Steve McNair also had a little drinking and driving problem. It’s logical that Steve would drink heavily during his injury-plagued career and directly after. Retirement is one of the darkest times in many athletes’s lives. The pain must also have been unbearable. Even if his drinking habits make sense, there is never any excuse for drunk driving. 

In 2003, McNair was arrested for suspected DUI (he had a blood alcohol level of.18) and illegal firearm possession. The charges were dropped because the judge ruled that the police didn’t have sufficient reason to initially pull over McNair. 

Once again, in 2007, Steve McNair faced DUI charges because he let someone else who was drunk drive his vehicle. Air McNair II’s DUI cases are so odd each time. Steve’s charges were dropped because the driver of the vehicle had his charges reduced to reckless driving. 

Steve McNair’s Untimely Passing

McNair had his life taken on July 4th, 2009. His death was assumed to be a murder-suicide at the hands of his mistress. Steve McNair was shot four times: twice in the body and twice in the head. His mistress, Sahel Kazemi, was shot in the temple. 

Kazemi’s motives are said to be her growing financial concerns and anxiety over her boyfriend cheating on her with someone other than his wife. Two days prior, she and McNair, along with another gentleman, were in a vehicle when 20-year-old Kazemi was pulled over for a DUI. Steve left the scene without speaking to her, which appeared to upset her. McNair ultimately bailed her out. 

Suspicions About the Death

There are a few controversial aspects of Steve McNair’s passing that have some people questioning the well-known narrative. 

1. Kazemi allegedly shot the firearm. However, it was found underneath her head, and she shot herself in the temple. It’s not impossible, but physics doesn’t often work that way. 
2. It took the police over five months to close the case, even though it was portrayed as a murder-suicide right away, which typically is fairly straight-forward forensically. 
3. McNair passed away with $6 in his pockets, even though he felt broke if he didn’t have a few Gs in his wallet. Leaving his home with so little is unlikely, but possible.
4. The individual who found McNair dead called at least three people and waited a full 45 minutes to call the police. Why?
5. The Nashville PD attacked the credibility of the people who called out their investigation instead of addressing people’s concerns. That’s never a good sign. 

Am I a tin-foil hat wearer? No. But sometimes things are portrayed one way and happen another way. At the same time, the most obvious solution is usually the correct one. We don’t have all the answers behind Air McNair II’s final hours on this earth, but hopefully justice was served. Our thoughts are with Mrs. McNair, Steve’s four sons, the McNair extended family, and the Kazemi family. Rest in peace, Steve McNair.