Former NFL quarterback Steve McNair, who made three Pro Bowls and led the Tennessee Titans within one yard of forcing overtime in Super Bowl XXXIV, was shot and killed July 4 along with his rumored lover, Sahel Kazemi.
His wife, Mechelle McNair, may have only learned about the gridiron star’s affair with the gorgeous young woman after the clandestine couple’s grisly deaths.
Nashville police confirmed that Steve McNair, 36, was killed by four bullets at close range, two of which hit him in the head, and ruled his death a homicide.
His lover, Sahel Kazemi, 20, died of a single gunshot wound from the same semiautomatic weapon found on the floor under her body, police also said.
Sahel Kazemi and Steve McNair, a dad of four boys, were dating for several months, friends told cops; McNair apparently kept the affair a secret from his wife Mechelle.
Police stopped short of calling the slayings a murder-suicide carried out by Kazemi, but said they are not looking for any suspects. Cops ruled McNair’s death a homicide and have not ruled on Kazemi’s death, citing the need for more tests.
Sahel Kazemi and Steve McNair, a dad of four boys, were dating for several months, friends told cops; McNair apparently kept the affair a secret from his wife.
Kazemi’s aunt Sepideh Salmani told The Tennessean newspaper that after they met a sports bar where she was waitressing, “They exchanged phone numbers, and started dating from there.” They also recently went on a tropical vacation together.
Follow the jump for more on this story, including how the secret couple met, and pictures of Steve McNair and Sahel Kazemi together …
“She said they were planning to get married,” Soheyla Kazemi said.
Investigators said Steve McNair had been drinking at a pair of Nashville bars Friday – Blue Moon Lagoon Bar and Loser’s Bar – into the early-morning hours of Saturday and then returned to the downtown condo he shared with a pal.
Although neighbors have not reported hearing gunshots, cops believe McNair and Kazemi died about 2 a.m., nearly 12 hours before their bodies were found.
There was no sign of forced entry at the condo, and investigators are checking whether the couple had been having a “lovers’ quarrel,” cops said.
It was not immediately known whom the pistol belonged to, although McNair did have a permit to carry a gun, police said. Kazemi, who was raised by an aunt in Florida after her parents were killed in Iran, moved to Nashville with ex-boyfriend Keith Norfleet.
Norfleet, whom investigators want to talk to, had a “volatile” relationship with Kazemi but was trying to win her back from McNair, his stepmother said.
“They had a lot of jealousy in their relationship and they’d fight and break up a lot,” said Trudie Norfleet. “He loved her. … He’s awful torn up about it.”
The quarterback, renowned in Nashville for his extensive work in the community, rented the condo overlooking the Titans stadium with sporting goods dealer Wayne Neeley, who called McNair’s best friend after seeing the bodies sprawled on a couch.