The 2009 murder of Steve McNair: The timeline of the events
Steve McNair was murdered in 2009, here is timeline of the events
Michael Schwab – USA TODAY NETWORK – Tennessee, Nashville Tennessean
This story is part of The Tennessean’s Notorious Nashville series, which takes a look back at some of the city’s most provocative news stories of the 21st century so far.Former Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair was found dead of multiple gunshot wounds on July 4, 2009.Police ruled McNair’s death a murder-suicide, concluding his girlfriend Sahel Kazemi killed him before taking her own life.
On the morning of July 4, 2009, a man named Robert Gaddy made a 911 call about a man named Steve McNair that would send shockwaves throughout Nashville, the NFL, the Tennessee Titans and far, far beyond for many years to come.
The call began with three words.
Oh, my god.
The only words Gaddy could muster in the moment to a dispatcher who answered his call after two what-seemed-to-take-forever rings of the telephone.
A “Where were you when?” moment that became shrouded in controversy, confusion and contempt. A whodunit that left in its wake more questions than answers. A death that lives on in the minds of many, including a pair of producers who made a Netflix documentary last year about that day.
The day the Music City’s quarterback died.
‘Somebody’s been shot’
The dispatcher pleaded with Gaddy, but was met with stunned silence.
Hello? Hello?
Gaddy repeated himself.
Hello. Oh, my god.
The voice on the other end pressed more.
Sir, what’s going on?
Another pause.
I hate to be the one to have to make this call. It’s so messed up. Somebody’s been shot.
McNair, beloved 36-year-old quarterback of the Tennessee Titans, had been murdered. Gaddy had just seen his friend’s body on the sofa in the living of his downtown Nashville condo.
His girlfriend/mistress, 20-year-old Sahel Kazemi, lay dead next to him.
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Had she killed him? If so, why?
Was this real?
‘Things don’t add up’
It was real all right.
Murder-suicide was the official word from the Metro Nashville Police. Kazemi had shot McNair four times − twice in the head and twice in the chest − before turning the gun on herself, police said.
Left behind were McNair’s wife, four sons and mountains of doubt.
A two-day memorial was held for McNair by the Titans at Nissan Stadium, allowing fans to pay their last respects.
“I can make a case that things don’t add up,” former Titans coach Jeff Fisher said in that Netflix documentary, titled “Untold: The Murder of Air McNair.” “I can make a case that, ‘Oh, boy, that could be a possibility as well.’ “
One thing was for sure, though. “Air McNair,” who nine years earlier helped lead the Titans to Super Bowl XXXIV, who in 2003 was the NFL’s co-MVP, who three times was selected for the Pro Bowl, was gone forever.
McNair was a little more than a year into retirement after playing 13 seasons in the league, 11 of which were spent with the Titans/Oilers.
After his death, the Titans retired McNair’s No. 9, and he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and the Black College Football Hall of Fame.
The Tennessean is publishing a Notorious Nashville story for each year from 2000-2024. Catch up on the series here.
Paul Skrbina is a sports enterprise reporter covering the Predators, Titans, Nashville SC, local colleges and local sports for The Tennessean. Reach him at pskrbina@tennessean.com and on the X platform (formerly known as Twitter)Â @paulskrbina.