Steve McNair, 1973-2009. R.I.P.

While Christopher and I were having supper this evening I heard someone mention "the guy who used to be the quarterback for the Tennessee Titans."

Steve McNair came to mind but I thought nothing further of it. That is until I got back home and learned McNair and a woman named Sahel Kazemi had been shot and killed in a Nashville condominium which was rented by McNair and another man. McNair was only 36 (my age) while Kazemi was only 20.

Autopsies are scheduled to be performed tomorrow. Two days ago, Kazemi and McNair were stopped by police in their vehicle. Kazemi, who was driving the vehicle, was arrested and charged with DUI while McNair was not detained and escorted away by taxi. Whether this incident is related to this tragedy remains to be seen.

McNair had been arrested for DUI in 2007 (when he was also the passenger in the vehicle) and for DUI and illegal gun possession in 2003. However, none of the previous arrests resulted in convictions.

It might be worth noting that McNair was shot multiple times while Kazemi sustained a single shot to the head. I cannot help but wonder if this is a murder-suicide rather than a double homicide. Again, we will know soon enough.

McNair played 13 seasons in the NFL. He was a first round draft pick of the Houston Oilers and the third overall pick in the country in the 1995 NFL Draft. McNair did not become a number one quarterback until the team moved to Nashville in 1997 becoming the Tennessee Oilers.

Two years later, the team was renamed the Tennessee Titans. McNair would lead the team to the AFC championship but came up a yard short of winning of Super Bowl XXXIV against the St. Louis Rams.

McNair never returned to the big game but enjoyed several more solid seasons with the Titans. In 2003, McNair and Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning shared NFL MVP honors.

Injuries caught up with McNair and reduced his effectiveness. He spent his last two seasons in the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens before announcing his retirement in April 2008.

It was only last month that McNair had opened a restaurant in Nashville.

Tonight, four children lost their father.