Steve McNair, the former N.F.L. quarterback who shared the league’s Most Valuable Player award in 2003, was found shot to death Saturday, the Nashville police said. McNair, 36, and Sahel Kazemi, a 20-year-old friend, were found dead with gunshot wounds Saturday afternoon in a condominium in downtown Nashville, the police said. McNair had multiple gunshot wounds, including one to the head, and Kazemi was found with a single gunshot wound to the head, the police said.
Don Aaron, a police spokesman, said that the deaths had not been classified as a double homicide or a murder-suicide. Both bodies were found in the living room of the condominium, Aaron said, with McNair on a sofa and Kazemi on the floor close to him. A pistol was found near Kazemi at the scene, Aaron said. Autopsies were to be performed Sunday morning. Aaron said a classification of the deaths would be made after the autopsies and forensic testing.
“While we may be leaning certain ways based on evidence at the scene and wounds on the bodies, we have not ruled anything out,” Aaron said.
Aaron did not indicate what the police thought the classification of the deaths might be. He added that the police were not actively searching for a suspect as of Saturday night.
A witness told the police that McNair entered the condominium, which he rented, between 1:30 a.m. and 2 a.m. Saturday. The witness also said that Kazemi’s 2007 Cadillac Escalade, which was registered to her and McNair, was at the condominium when McNair arrived. Aaron said he did not know if McNair and Kazemi, a resident of Nashville, were together earlier that night.
Kazemi and McNair were together when she was arrested and charged with driving under the influence in her Escalade early Thursday morning, the police said. McNair was riding in the car but was not charged.
On Saturday, Wayne Neeley, a friend of McNair’s who co-rented the condominium with him, entered it just before 1 p.m. He found McNair on a sofa and Kazemi on the floor in the living room, the police said. At first, Neeley did not notice they were dead, but then he found blood near the bodies. He called Robert Gaddy, another friend of McNair’s, and Gaddy called the police.
McNair played for the Tennessee Titans for 11 years, taking them within inches of overtime against the St. Louis Rams in the Super Bowl after the 1999 season. He retired before the 2008 season after playing for two years in Baltimore. In his 13-year career, he established himself as one of the best quarterbacks of his era and earned the nickname Air McNair.
“The N.F.L. has lost a brother, and I believe black quarterbacks have lost a pioneer,” said Jets linebacker Bart Scott, who played with McNair in Baltimore.
The Houston Oilers, who later moved to Tennessee, drafted McNair with the third overall pick in 1995 out of Alcorn State, a historically black college where McNair first displayed his dazzling ability to scramble or throw — and a toughness that pushed him to play through numerous injuries. Other players marveled at his grittiness, and in 1999 he returned from early-season back surgery to take the Titans to the Super Bowl.
“He was the heart and soul of our team,” his former teammate Eddie George told ESPN.
The greatest stretch of McNair’s career might have occurred near the end of the 2002 season, when McNair had so many injuries he could not practice for two months. He led the Titans to five straight victories to finish the regular season before they lost in the American Football Conference championship game.
In 2003, McNair was charged with drunken driving and possession of a handgun. Those charges were dismissed. In 2007, McNair was charged with driving under the influence in Tennessee; the police said he had allowed his vehicle to be operated by someone who was driving under the influence of alcohol. His brother-in-law was driving the vehicle, and he pleaded guilty to reckless driving. The charge against McNair was dropped.
McNair was a gifted athlete in his hometown, Mount Olive, Miss. He was even drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 35th round of the 1991 baseball draft. Bigger colleges recruited him, but they wanted him to play defensive back. As a college sophomore, he led the nation in total offense, averaging more than 400 yards a game and displaying the ability to play through injuries. As a senior, he gained nearly 6,000 yards rushing and passing, along with 53 touchdowns, and finished third in voting for the Heisman Trophy.
“Steve was special and as tough and competitive of a guy that I have ever been around,” Jets Coach Rex Ryan, who was an assistant with the Ravens from 1999 to 2008, said in a statement on the Jets’ Web site. “As soon as we got him in Baltimore, he gave our team instant confidence, and I was fortunate to be around him for two seasons.”
McNair was a genial locker-room presence. He was embraced by the Ravens in part because of his close friendship with linebacker Ray Lewis, who was said to be having a difficult time dealing with McNair’s death Saturday night. Ravens receiver Derrick Mason called McNair “Smile” and said their families were close. McNair and his wife, Mechelle, had four sons.
“I’ve known him for 13 years, and he was the most selfless, happiest and friendliest person I have known,” Mason said. “On the field, there isn’t a player that was as tough as him, especially at the quarterback position. What I have seen him play through on the field, and what he dealt with during the week to get ready for a game, I have never known a better teammate.”
Scott had his first career interception off a McNair pass in 2002. When McNair joined the Ravens, Scott said McNair signed the ball for him.
“Me personally, I’m not a guy who’s like a big fan of football players; it’s not my personality,” Scott said. “But I tell you one thing: Steve McNair’s Tennessee Titans jersey sits down in my basement. I’m not a fan of players, I’m a fan of people. And I was a fan of Steve McNair the person.”
McNair was an anomaly when he came to the N.F.L., displaying a penchant for running that later became a trademark of Michael Vick’s. McNair combined his running ability with a booming arm that earned him his nickname.
McNair went to the Pro Bowl three times. In his M.V.P. season, when he shared the award with Peyton Manning, McNair threw 24 touchdown passes.
“He was one of the finest players to play for our organization and one of the most beloved players by our fans,” Bud Adams Jr., the Titans’ owner, said in a statement. “He played with unquestioned heart and leadership and led us to places that we had never reached, including our only Super Bowl.”
