The National Football League was dealt a tragedy recently with the death of quarterback Steve McNair. His death caught the nation by storm, but created a media frenzy because of its mysterious nature. Here are the facts that have been released so far: McNair was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds. Next to him was a woman, Sahel Kazemi, who also died from a single gunshot wound. Later, they also found a gun believed to have been bought be Kazemi recently. The police ruled McNair’s death a homicide early and eventually ruled Kazemi’s death a suicide, putting her as the shooter for both deaths. The media coverage has also brought to light more information about the woman with him, like the fact that the two had been seeing each other for quite some time unbeknownst to McNair’s wife, Mechelle. Kazemi was also to be rumored to believe that McNair was divorcing his wife, but no paperwork indicating a divorce had surfaced so far.

The reaction to McNair’s death was swift and strong. He had opened a restaurant in Nashville called Gridiron 9, and mourners from all over came to the restaurant to pay respects to the star. His former teammates and coaches also spoke out about the star’s life and what he meant to them. Because of the emotional outpouring, the Tennessee Titans decided to open up their stadium to fans who wanted to pay their respects to the fallen star. The memorial at the stadium featured a photo mural of McNair, video highlights of his career and a message book that fans could write in for his family. Fans can see the team that remembers McNair so fondly with Tennessee Titans tickets online.

Steve McNair was born in Mt. Pleasant, Mississippi in 1973 to a single parent in a small town. He had four brothers, and his mother worked tirelessly to make a better life for her sons. He grew up doing farm work while working on his athletic skills. In high school, he played basketball, football, baseball and track, making All-State recognitions in all of them. On his football team, he was a star on offense and defense, playing both quarterback and defensive back. He had a chance to play baseball professionally with the Seattle Mariners, but decided instead to go for football. The big schools wanted to play him at defensive back, pushing him to choose Alcorn State instead so he could play quarterback.

After standout years at Alcorn State, McNair was picked up in the first round of the 1995 NFL Draft by the Houston Oilers. He stayed with the team as they made their transition to Tennessee to become the Tennessee Titans. By his third year, he was starting in every game. He made the Pro Bowl for the first time in 2000, a feat he repeated two more times in his career. During his time in Tennessee, McNair gained a reputation for playing through injuries, a trait that made him a fan and team favorite. He spent the last two seasons with the Baltimore Ravens in 2006 and 2007. In his career, he tallied 31,304 passing yards, 174 passing touchdowns, 3,590 rushing yards and 37 rushing touchdowns. He retired following the 2007 season.

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[tags]Tennessee Titans, football, sports, tickets, NFL[/tags]