It’s been 17 years since Steve McNair’s murder

The Fourth of July is one of the slowest NFL news days of the year. Every year, I remember the shocking news that emerged in the early afternoon of July 4, 2009.

Former Titans and Ravens quarterback Steve McNair had been murdered.

The details were confusing. It was quickly ruled a murder-suicide; McNair was shot by his 20-year-old girlfriend, who then shot herself. The woman, Sahel Kazemi, had reportedly never owned a gun. But McNair was execution-style, with two shots to the chest and two to the head.

Questions lingered regarding whether someone else was involved, but the case was never re-opened. In 2018, SI.com released a podcast series on the McNair murder.

The third overall pick in the 1995 draft, McNair led the Titans to Super Bowl XXXIV, nearly throwing a late touchdown pass that would have set the stage for overtime (or the ultimate all-or-nothing two-point conversion) against the Rams. McNair shared the NFL MVP award with Peyton Manning in 2003, and he finished his career with two seasons in Baltimore.

McNair is a member of the Titans’ Ring of Honor. The team has retired number 9 in his honor.

McNair was only 36 when he died, 17 years ago today.