Post by TheShadow on Jul 4, 2009 19:11:47 GMT -5
www.latimes.com/
He is found dead in downtown Nashville with an unidentified female victim.
By Sam Farmer
3:32 PM PDT, July 4, 2009
Steve McNair, a former NFL co-most valuable player, was found dead with a gunshot wound to the head today in downtown Nashville, police said.
An unidentified female victim was also found with McNair, who was 36.
A 13-year NFL veteran who retired after the 2007 season, McNair spent his first 11 years with the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans, in 1999 leading the Titans to their only Super Bowl appearance. In 2003, he and Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning shared the league's MVP award. McNair finished his career with the Baltimore Ravens.
The Titans released a statement from team owner Bud Adams, saying the franchise is "shocked and saddened" at the news of McNair's death.
"He was one of the finest players to play for our organization and one of the most beloved players by our fans," Adams said in the statement. "He played with unquestioned heart and leadership and led us to places that we had never reached, including our only Super Bowl."
Former Titans General Manager Floyd Reese, now senior football advisor for the New England Patriots, called McNair "a tremendous leader and an absolute warrior."
"He felt like it was his responsibility to lead by working hard every day, no matter what," Reese said in a statement. "I don't think there was a player who played with him or against him that didn't look up to him and respect him."
Earlier this year, McNair was a contestant on "Pros vs. Joes," a Spike TV reality show that pits former professional athletes against everyday "Joes" in games of three-on-three football and basketball. He was soft-spoken and relaxed, arriving on the Los Angeles set with a public-relations woman who carried a stack of promotional "Air McNair" placards that he planned to autograph and distribute.
"Just from talking to him, things seemed to be going pretty good for him," said fellow contestant Tim Brown, a retired Oakland Raiders receiver. "He was enjoying retirement to the fullest. From talking to him, I knew that he was married and all that. ... I don't know anybody who would say anything bad about Steve, that's for sure. He seemed to be a very respectable guy."