McNair had dreams of his restaurant becoming a chain. Mechelle McNair married to Steve McNair on 1997 and divorce on 2009. The Players Association's filed a grievance on his behalf in which an arbitrator ruled that the team violated its contract, opening the possibility for a trade. Steve McNair's Widow, Children Given $500,000 Each - NewsOne Brett Favre and Ray Lewis and Jay Cutler showed up for the funeral. Late in the season, he also appeared briefly against the Detroit Lions and New York Jets. When news of his death flashed on the TV screen, Cartwright rushed through the house to Mechelle's room. Nearly 5,000 people mourned McNair at Reed Green Coliseum on the campus of Southern Miss. Times when the family would pair up in teams and wrestle, Mechelle and Tyler on one side; Trent and Steve on the other. But after Steve's death, the most intimate details of her life were fodder for public consumption. This is just one of the many feel-good stories McNair was known for in his life. Just because she doesnt know how to manage money doesnt mean she can bully her dead husbands poor old mother! "I can deal with not having Steve here a lot more because I see him still every day in his boys.". #FlexExcellence: The Most Extravagant Prom Flexes Of 2023, #FlexExcellence: Tammy Rivera, Monica, Dr. Heavenly & Erica Dixon Send Their Celebrity Seeds Off To Prom In Style, Your Weekly Helping Of Tidday Meats & Treats On The Gram, Picture Perfect Poster Girl: Taylour Paige Stars As "Boogie's" Leading Lady, Kylie Jenner Klaims Its A Misconception That Shes Had So Much Surgery On Her Face, Kauses Kosmetic Kommotion Akross Internet, Riding Dirty: Stevie J. Christmas break is over, and the house is quiet. The Titans held a two-day memorial at LP Field on July 8 and 9, 2009, where fans could pay their last respects to McNair. McNair's death shocked the country on the Fourth of July in 2009. She knew how much potential he had. She wasn't into sports, and she already had a boyfriend. Aside from kid functions and dinners out, she lived the life of a homebody. His total offense averages were 571 y/g over 11 games. Piller downplays his involvement. Moreover, she belongs to the African-American ethnicity and holds an American nationality. Though McNair was an NFL quarterback, he never wanted to force football or sports on his children. He will want to spend more time with his friends, not his mom. But he could be there for McNair's boys. Trent shows flashes of great talent at quarterback, but he won't play the position. She doesn't want to go through any more pain. Yes. "I had it in my mindbut I didn't tell nobody. They got married in Vicksburg, Mississippi, in 1997, and a year later, Tyler came along. Merrill: The dilemma of how to mourn McNair. In 2019, he claimed that neither he nor his elder brother was invited to the ceremony where his fathers jersey was retired. The house actually had been on the market before McNair died, but then the housing crisis hit, and it bounced on and off the listings for four years. Read More: How Did Mike Tysons Daughter Die? [36][37] The day of the shooting, text messages between the pair were exchanged proclaiming their love to one another in which Kazemi texted the victim, "u love me" in which McNair replied, "I love you baby. Dance was his release, a way of working through his emotions. The man who had taken epidurals and basically crawled around in pain six days a week but somehow played football on Sundays couldn't be gone. "[38] There was also a conversation about financial issues where McNair transferred $2,000 to Kazemi, who claimed she was "stressed" and needed to pay her phone bill. The Steve McNair Foundation, Inc. 209 10th Avenue South Nashville, TN 37218 The Steve McNair Foundation Teams With the NFL Youth Football Fund for $100,000 in Katrina Relief. In continuing his charity and philanthropic work, Tennessee Titans Quarterback Steve McNair was recently honored as Nashville's Philanthropist of the Year. The widow of Steve, Mechelle's net worth is estimated at around $450 Thousand as of 2019, which is similar to the model Karizma Ramirez. He was still trying to figure out his world outside of football. Ex-linemen tell stories about how she used to sit in the stands and yell at them to protect her husband. I always have thought Steve got his toughness from his mother. It's his way of being around his brother still. The tabloids fed off the story and ran photos of McNair vacationing with the young waitress and texts they sent to each other in their final hours. They hug, and Tyler wants to tell her something before she goes back home to Tennessee. McNair was known as one of the toughest players in the NFL. She was slow to trust after her husband's death and never remarried. Tyler, who was 10, started crying. Mechelle didn't particularly want to go to such a tiny school. He could see McNair smiling and telling his boy, "Good job, Buddy. I'm used to it by now. Corrections? "They appreciated what they had," add Lucille. (She was never a suspect). On a recent winter afternoon, Mechelle is sitting in the dining room of their house in the hills of Nashville, waiting to pick Trent up from school. The night of his death, McNair put his children to bed, then at 11:00p.m. he texted Kazemi "On my way. At first, Mechelle thought he should stick it out. "He was a good dad. It was just like 2009. He kissed Mechelle and told her he loved her, too. Over that time, McNair threw 119 touchdown passes and set an FCS record by throwing and running for a combined 16,823 yards. Her statement read, in part, Your prayers, kind deeds, and outpouring of support throughout this difficult time have been of tremendous comfort to usYou are appreciated beyond measure. Moreover, in the months that followed, despite the fact that Steve had not left a will, her lawyers revealed that, as per instructions, she would not exclude any of his kids from his estate. Fortunately, Mechelle grabbed him and stopped him. Mechelle didn't particularly want to go to such a tiny school. He did annoying things, peeking at her test answers, sticking his giant feet on her book bag. She merely wanted to grieve her loss in private. [22] However, on June 7, 2006, the two teams worked out a deal to send McNair to the Ravens for a 4th-round pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. Eventually, there will be more goodbyes. He sat behind her in class and constantly flirted. She wanted to see him so she could help him. She never imagined she'd leave Mississippi after college to move to Houston with a man who had just been selected at No. "He was tough from day one.". Mechelle could handle algebra and first crushes, but sometimes, a boy needs a male figure in his life. There wasn't anything those children wanted that he didn't get for them. We immediately think of his family, his boys. Nashville Police Chief Ronal Serpas said, "The police department has concluded that Steve McNair was murdered by Sahel Kazemi and that, in turn, Sahel Kazemi killed herself with a single gunshot wound to her head.". There were good times, too. In his senior year alone, he set a single-season FCS mark by totaling 5,799 yards and finished third in the balloting for the 1994 Heisman Trophy. Conspiracy theorists flooded the internet and airwaves. Mechelle says she could hear Steve's footsteps in the house sometimes. McNair finished the 2003 season as the league leader in passer rating and became the youngest player in NFL history to pass for 20,000 yards and run for 3,000 yards. E:60's John Minton III and Ryan Smith contributed to this report. He probably wouldn't have spent most of the summer dreading this moment, standing in front of a college dorm, trying not to cry. There was one problem: His heart wasn't in it anymore, and he wanted to dance instead. He was quiet until you knew him, and he waited a while to talk to her. Oldest son Fred McNair was the first star to emerge. In a short while, the officials concluded that shed shot her boyfriend before turning the gun on herself in a jealous rage. "He was the first person to come," Tyler says. Mechelle appreciates the little things, such as the neighbor who used to replace the boys' basketball net whenever it looked worn, or the random texts Piller sends to the boys to ask how it's going. Late Steve McNair's Wife, Mechelle McNair Is Still Grieving His Husband It had been a long time since they'd been there. She noticed her husband wasn't home and made a number of phone calls trying to find him. But if I'm playing basketball, I kind of look up there and tell her to sshhhhh." "He would just come home and be, like, dead," Tyler says. McNair then offered to come over to check on her after she said her chest felt heavy. Did I know about some other people and some other things? [33], His cousin is NFL linebacker Demario Davis. McNair was shot and killed on the Fourth of July by Sahel Kazemi, a 20-year-old girlfriend who then shot herself in the head. 27 Jerseys at Sunday's Game", "Remembering 'Air McNair' NCAA Football", "Shooting Unveils Very Different Sides of Ex-NFL Quarterback Steve McNair", "McNair helped bring stability and success to vagabond franchise", "MVP Patrick Mahomes is now part of the legendary black quarterback fraternity", "MLB Amateur Draft Picks with the Name Matching: mcnair", "Devlin Hodges notches FCS mark with 14,584 career passing yards", "Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Oilers - December 8th, 1996 - Pro-Football-Reference.com", Notes: Favre backs McNair; Leinart hires Condon, Judge: Officer didn't have 'sufficient basis' to stop McNair for DUI, "NFL players from historically black colleges", "McNair visits Titans, doesn't have animosity over parting National Football League", McNair introduced as Ravens' new starting QB, "McNair's case to be heard today in Tenn", McNair could have playoff impact in Baltimore, "A Look Back at the Career of Steve McNair", "McNair Says Goodbye to Ravens, National Football League", "NFF Announces Storied 2020 College Football Hall of Fame Class Presented by ETT", "Former Titans' QB opens Nashville restaurant", "Demario Davis Remembers His Cousin, Steve McNair", "Police: Steve McNair death is apparent murder-suicide", "Woman's gun ID'd in Steve McNair death, but questions linger", "Sahel Kazemi and Steve McNair Final Texts Show Worries of Love and Money", "Tenn. police rule ex-QB McNair's death a homicide", "Autopsy planned for slain NFL star Steve McNair", "ESPN A Football Life The tragic passing of Steve McNair", "Police Release 911 Tapes in Steve McNair Case", "Coroner: Steve McNair a Victim of Murder-Suicide", "Police: McNair mistress knew gun seller for weeks", "The 2009 Murder of Steve McNair: Jenni Kazemi had known man who sold gun to her", "Statement From Titans Owner K.S. He pictured his dad sitting in a pew, his leg sticking out in the aisle because the seat was too small for his giant body. In happy times, they belted out SWV songs in Mechelle's little, red, two-seater Mercedes, his tiny head bobbing to the music. That same show aired as a rerun last week, on the night of the Super Bowl. Following a 133 season in 2000 which ended in a playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens, McNair put together his most productive year as a pro in 2001. Years ago, after Cartwright lost her own husband, Steve had told her to pack her bags and come live with them. "That word will always get to me. He says that McNair would do the same thing for him, and that what he does isn't much. It wasa close knit family. Unfortunately, she has been very tight-lipped concerning her professional life. They carry pieces of Steve, from Tyler's mannerisms to the way Trent calls people "Buddy." [28], McNair was inducted into the Black College Football Hall of Fame in 2012 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2020. Dont miss to subscribe to our new feeds, kindly fill the form below. George Gojkovich/Getty Images The McNairs never had a lot,but Lucille saysthey had each other. Steve McNair would have been 40 today - Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame As they enter new stages of their lives, they wonder what their father would think. She is dating someone, but meeting people has been a struggle. I don't want to be here by myself. But Fred was more,Fred would pick you apart. Beach Boys; Friday, August 11. "I mean, I'm here by myself. He took care of us. I've gotta keep going.". "He never cried, not once," Mrs. McNair.