Today is fifteen years since the death of former NFL quarterback Steve McNair. At the age of just thirty-six.
The official narrative was that Jenny Kazemi, McNair’s 20-year-old lover, killed him and then killed herself.
The narrative always felt unfinished. There were persistent suspicions that it was a double homicide staged to appear as a murder-suicide. SI.com published a nine-part podcast series about the crime six years ago.
Alcorn State’s third-round selection in the 1995 draft, McNair played 13 seasons in the National Football League. Before concluding his career with the Ravens in 2006 and 2007, he played for 11 seasons with the Oilers and Titans.
After leading the Titans to a Super Bowl berth, he almost forced overtime against the Rams during a late drive that resulted in a touchdown pass to receiver Kevin Dyson being stopped.
McNair and Peyton Manning shared the MVP honors in 2003. He appeared in 161 regular-season games, making 153 starts, and finished his career with over 31,000 passing yards.
The Titans have retired his number nine, and he is inducted into the Ring of Honor.
The McNair-themed episode of A Football Life is worth watching if you haven’t already.