Fifteen years ago today, former NFL quarterback Steve McNair was killed. He was only 36 years old.
The official explanation was that McNair had been murdered by his 20-year-old girlfriend, Jenny Kazemi, and that she then committed suicide.
The story always seemed incomplete. Suspicions lingered that it was a double murder made to look like a murder-suicide. Six years ago, SI.com released a nine-part podcast series on the crime.
The third overall pick in the 1995 draft from Alcorn State, McNair spent 13 years in the NFL. He played for 11 seasons with the Oilers and Titans before finishing his career in 2006 and 2007 with the Ravens.
He led the Titans to an appearance in Super Bowl XXXIV, nearly forcing overtime against the Rams with a late drive that ended in receiver Kevin Dyson being tackled just short of a touchdown.
McNair shared the 2003 MVP award with Peyton Manning. He had more than 31,000 career passing yards, and he appeared in 161 regular-season games with 153 starts.
He’s a member of the Titans Ring of Honor, and his No. 9 has been retired by the team.
If you haven’t seen it, the episode of A Football Life devoted to McNair is worth watching.