Sports was always one of the tougher areas for Mechelle to navigate. He told them to find something they loved and to do it well. McNair came in and threw a touchdown to Erron Kinney; a missed Steelers field goal attempt resulted in the Titans winning 2320. McNairs wife Michele cut his mother out of her grandchildrens life. In 2013, she sold their 13,000-square-foot house and moved to a smaller home. The old home had too many memories. The boys are constantly chasing a ghost, a man who, in death, is still the biggest sports legend in Nashville. His blood alcohol was above 0.10, and a 9-mm handgun was sitting in the front of the car. 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. Obviously this is just one side of the story, but what the HELL could this woman have done to Michelle to make her take her home away from her and prevent her from seeing her grandchildren??? She was so happy at the end of their talk, when he said she could attend the next employee meeting. That was meand God.". She knew how much potential he had. She made faces at him to try to get him to stop. He felt comfortable in the country, near his siblings and his mother, Lucille. Lucille saidpeople will never know how kind and gentle her son was,but she says hislegacy lives on through his four boys and his family. [52] On October 15, 2010, it was reported that McNair's widow went to a Nashville judge and asked that at least a portion of the assets be unfrozen for his children's care and expenses until the estate matters were resolved in court. The boys are so close that Trent sleeps in Tyler's bed when he's at college. OLIVE, MS (Mississippi News Now) - He led the Tennessee Titans to Super Bowl XXXIV, went to three Pro Bowls, was All-Pro once, threw 174 touchdowns against 119 interceptions, had 31,304 yards passing, and had an impressive 60.1 career completion percentage. (She was never a suspect). Trent will put his hands on his hips and walk to the bench, and it reminds Piller of Steve heading to the huddle. McNair threw for 3,228 yards and 15 touchdowns in '98, and he led the Titans to the Super Bowl a year later. NFL home Her mother, Melzena Cartwright, saw the news on TV. When McNair was alive, if one of the boys was struggling with a batting stance or a shot, he could go outside, spend 30 minutes with him and get it figured out. McNair was known for his tenacity in playing through injuries and his dexterity as a scrambler or passer. She and her sons settled into a house surrounded by trees and the occasional deer that plops down in the middle of the yard. There he guided his team to a comeback from a 16-point deficit, and the Titans came within a yard of the tying touchdown, only to ultimately lose to the St. Louis Rams. Yet, Steves persistence and personality won her over, so she found herself leaving the state with him after graduation to support his NFL career. [32], McNair earned the nickname "Air McNair" in high school. He had four brothers, Fred, Jason, Michael, and Tim. She noticed her husband wasn't home and made a number of phone calls trying to find him. Unfortunately, she has been very tight-lipped concerning her professional life. They met at Alcorn State, a historically black college in rural Claiborne County, Mississippi. More on Steve McNair "That word will always get to me. What happened to Steve McNair? Jenni Kazemi life unraveled, cop says [48], Titans owner Bud Adams released a statement regarding McNair:[49]. I can't wallow in it. Ludacris, FloRida and Ashanti; Thursday, July 20. "He would just come home and be, like, dead," Tyler says. Just because she doesnt know how to manage money doesnt mean she can bully her dead husbands poor old mother! He said he had to go, and kissed the boys goodbye. "At the end of the day, that's my husband," she says. I'm not going to do it." He attended Mount Olive High School as a freshman in the fall of 1987, where he played football, baseball, and basketball in addition to running track. "I think that [Trent] would be attached to his dad." He asked how somebody could do this to his daddy. He felt comfortable in the country, near his siblings and his mother, Lucille. Mechelle could handle algebra and first crushes, but sometimes, a boy needs a male figure in his life. She says she protects her heart and her kids. And I don't feel like that's how God wants us to be.". The team would not let him rehab in its building because it feared an injury would force the franchise to pay him $23.46 million (his contract had been restructured so often that his salary cap reached a hard-to-manage amount). 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. He split time between his home in Nashville and his farm in Collins, Mississippi. Today, his estate is still dealing with his lack of planning. Sahel Kazemi and Steve McNair Final Texts Show Worries of Love and Maybe she could do that. McNair left a large estate behind that's in probate in both Tennessee and Mississippi. The boxes are unpacked, the dorm room is clean, and there is nothing else to do but say goodbye. It had been a long time since they'd been there. Also known as: Air McNair, Steve LaTreal McNair. [27], McNair's number was retired by the Titans during a halftime ceremony against the Indianapolis Colts on September 15, 2019. To Mechelle, he was sort of a gentle giant, romantic enough to hide an engagement ring in a piece of strawberry cake, country enough to skin a deer and cook it up for his teammates. He pushed an air mattress beside Tyler's bed when his brother was home and slept there. 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. "I know what he's thinking. This series of season-ending injuries prompted the Titans to make the business decision of locking McNair out of team headquarters in the 2006 offseason. "He never cried, not once," Mrs. McNair. But I'm not going to hell blaming somebody or having the hate and animosity in my heart. McNair threw for 3,228 yards and 15 touchdowns in '98, and he led the Titans to the Super Bowl a year later. McNair missed nine more games during the rest of the season, due primarily to injury, only starting in six games. It's his way of being around his brother still. She had plans. But when she saw how committed Tyler was to dance, she told him to do what makes him happy. He was known as one of the toughest men in football, playing through myriad injuries. He didn't just turn out all right. He also did not play the full game in Week 3, however, the game was won by the Ravens, 2623. And I don't feel like that's how God wants us to be." "What's my purpose? "Honestly, the most I've ever felt like a child is this year," Tyler says. He could see McNair smiling and telling his boy, "Good job, Buddy. He says that McNair would do the same thing for him, and that what he does isn't much. In his senior season, McNair gained 6,281 combined yards rushing (904) and passing (5,377), along with 56 touchdowns. George Gojkovich/Getty Images. God got her through this, she says. Her husband would have done things differently. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family as they deal with his untimely passing. 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. Mechelle told him she didn't know. 9 and Eddie George's No. When his father passed away, Steve McNair Jr. was a star wide receiver at Oak Grove High School in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. "He didn't want to do anything. When the police arrived, his corpse was on the couch with multiple wounds of the gunshot, including one to the head. One year after former Tennessee Titans star Steve McNair was shot and killed, details emerge about the life of Sahel Kazemi, the woman who police say pulled the trigger then turned the gun on herself. Mechelle didn't particularly want to go to such a tiny school. 3 in the NFL draft. "I loved him. He made his first playoff start as a Raven against the Colts on January 13, 2007. 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. She wasn't into sports, and she already had a boyfriend. Mechelle had always considered herself a private person. Steve McNair's Widow Kicks His Mother out Her OWN House! - Z 107.9 Thus, after graduation, he committed to playing ball at Southern Mississippi before transferring to Pearl River Community College. Those assets included the million dollar mansion he had built for his mother, Lucille, to live in during her twilight years. (McNair also has two older sons from previous relationships.) "I don't want to be alone," she says. Mechelle is asked whether she thinks they'd be this close had McNair lived. Stephen LaTreal McNair (February 14, 1973 July 4, 2009),[2] nicknamed "Air McNair",[3][4] was an American professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the Houston / Tennessee Oilers / Titans franchise. Nobody knew where he was. And that I still don't sometimes. Well, that's when the drama started between his wife and mom. Mechelle grabbed him and told him to stop. Tyler disagrees. "Lucille was a single mother,raising five rambunctious boys. Mourners console Lucille McNair, the mother of Steve McNair, during the former NFL quarterback's funeral Saturday in Hattiesburg, Miss. LIKE US ON FACEBOOK. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). [20], The 2006 season saw McNair start each game for the Ravens, missing only portions of two games. McNair also played free safety in high school, and in 1990 alone, he intercepted 15 passes, raising his career total to 30, which tied the mark established by Terrell Buckley at Pascagoula High School. He loved us. According to his wife, Michele, the will that his agent claimed was drawn up has been lost. Although she didn't grow up playing sports, Mechelle quickly acclimated herself to the life of a football wife. [43] The Nashville police declared McNair's death a murder-suicide, with Kazemi as the perpetrator and McNair as the victim. "I feel like I'm just living. The boxes are unpacked, the dorm room is clean, and there is nothing else to do but say goodbye. Steve McNair was buried on a Saturday in his home state of Mississippi. Nine years later, it's still hard for him to talk about McNair. But soon,everyone knew. McNair holds an Oilers jersey with NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue and McNair's mother, Lucille, April 22, 1995 in New York. Tyler came home for about a month, but he wasn't really there. He was still trying to figure out his world outside of football. "Most of the time I really don't hear it that much, but when I do, it's a little bit embarrassing. But after Steve's death, the most intimate details of her life were fodder for public consumption. The vehicle was registered in the names of both McNair and Kazemi. Eventually, there will be more goodbyes. He pushed an air mattress beside Tyler's bed when his brother was home and slept there.