In July 2009, Mechelle McNair was left a widow when her husband of 12 years, Steve McNair, was murdered.
Known for his prolific career as a quarterback with the Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens, McNair was revered both on and off the field. However, his life was cut short in a murder-suicide carried out by Sahel “Jenni” Kazemi, a woman he was romantically involved with at the time.
The devastating event left behind a grieving family, including Mechelle and their two children, Tyler and Trenton, who sometimes goes by Trent.
The tragedy is the subject of Netflix’s Untold: The Murder of Air McNair, released in August 2024, which revisited the crime over a decade later, including the complexities of the investigation and McNair’s career in the NFL. Since the events of July 2009, Mechelle has largely stayed out of the public eye and doesn’t appear in the film.
However, in an interview with ESPN in 2018, Mechelle opened up about the nuances of her grief and said that despite the tragedy bringing her husband’s infidelity to light, she still cherishes the love they shared and the family they built together.
“At the end of the day, that’s my husband,” she said. “I loved him. I still love him. Regardless of how he left here, I know he loved us.”
So, where is Mechelle McNair now? Here’s everything to know about the wife of late NFL quarterback Steve McNair and her life today.
Who is Mechelle McNair?
Mechelle McNair, born Jonula Mechelle Cartwright, met Steve McNair while they were both students at Alcorn State University in Mississippi. Mechelle caught the football player’s attention in a freshman anatomy class but she initially wasn’t interested in him.
Still, Steve was persistent and eventually his playful annoyances to get her attention began to grow on her. The couple married in 1997, and Mechelle became a pillar of support for Steve as his NFL career soared and their family grew with two sons, Tyler and Trenton.
Before her relationship with Steve, Mechelle didn’t envision marriage in her future and originally set out to be a doctor. However, when Steve was picked in the NFL draft in 1995 for the Houston Oilers (which later became the Tennessee Titans), the couple moved to the southern city.
While Mechelle isn’t shown in the 2024 documentary Untold: The Murder of Air McNair, it’s mentioned that “everybody knew who his wife was” and that she was very present in his football career.
In an interview with Titans Online in 2016, Mechelle laughed about how she used to shout at the offensive linemen to protect her husband from getting hit.
“I would always fuss at Zach [Pillar] and Brad [Hopkins] and say ‘What are you doing? Block somebody!’ ” Mechelle said. “And Zach would look up and say, ‘I’m sorry Mechelle. We are trying.’ Brad would look up and go ‘Shhhh.’ It was good times, really good times.”
What happened to Steve McNair?
On July 4, 2009, Steve was found dead in a condominium in downtown Nashville. The 36-year-old quarterback was found with multiple gunshot wounds, lying on a couch alongside the body of Kazemi, a 20-year-old woman he had been romantically involved with. The murder-suicide, carried out by Kazemi, sent shockwaves through the NFL community and left many, including Mechelle, grappling with the devastating loss.
The circumstances surrounding Steve’s death were both tragic and controversial. Kazemi, who had purchased the gun just a day prior, was struggling financially and had become increasingly distressed over her relationship with Steve — whom she found out was seeing other women besides her. Meanwhile, the revelation of Steve’s involvement with Kazemi was news to Mechelle, who admitted that while she knew about some “other things,” she had no idea who Kazemi was.
“I didn’t know about her at all,” Mechelle told ESPN. “Did I know about some other people and some other things? Yes. But did I know about her? No, I did not.”
How did Mechelle McNair react to Steve McNair’s murder?
Mechelle McNair comforts one of their two children during the funeral ceremonies of Steve McNair July 11, 2009.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
In the aftermath of Steve’s murder, Mechelle was met with grief and a newfound presence in the public eye. Ongoing legal issues, particularly due to the lack of a will, compounded her challenges, leading to years of disputes, including a public legal proceeding over property with Steve’s mother.
Despite these difficulties, Mechelle focused on her sons, Tyler and Trent, dedicating herself to raising them in the absence of their father. She relied on the support of close friends and former Titans players who stepped in as father figures for the boys, helping them navigate their lives without Steve.
What has Mechelle McNair said about Steve McNair’s death?
Over the years, Mechelle has spoken about the importance of remembering Steve for the positive impact he had on their lives and the lives of others, rather than the circumstances of his death.
“It was emotional (when Steve died), but it was never hard for me to talk about him because of the person that he was,” Mechelle told the Titans Online. “Steve’s death was indeed tragic, but I look at the dad and husband that he was, the player people respected and admired so much, the generous man that he was.”
The mother of two added that Steve is very much still a part of their family, and she actively keeps him alive in their sons’ memory.
“There is literally not a day that goes by that we don’t talk about their dad,” Mechelle said. “The boys do things that remind me of Steve all the time. I’m always like, ‘Oh my gosh, your dad used to do that.’ And then they’ll ask me what he did and I’ll tell them another story about him.”
Mechelle has acknowledged the complexity and pain surrounding Steve’s death, but she ultimately chooses not to carry on with resentment.
“I can’t say that I didn’t have my bitter moments,” she told ESPN. “And that I still don’t sometimes. But I’m not going to hell blaming somebody or having the hate and animosity in my heart. I’m not going to do it.”
Where is Steve McNair’s wife, Mechelle McNair, now?
Steve McNair of the Tennessee Titans warms up before a football game against the Carolina Panthers at Ericsson Stadium on October 19, 2003.
Mitchell Layton/Getty
Mechelle has spent the years since Steve’s murder largely out of the public eye, and focusing on raising their two sons, Tyler and Trent. In the aftermath of Steve’s murder in 2009, Mechelle was left to navigate the challenges of single motherhood while dealing with the grief of her husband’s death. Despite the difficulties, she has remained dedicated to her sons, ensuring they grow up in a stable and loving environment.
“I can’t tell our boys everything about being a man, but I can tell them about being respectful and humble and how to treat people the way they should be treated,” Mechelle told Titans Online. “I always tell them, no matter what, (your father) loved you.”
Mechelle also encouraged her sons to pursue their passions, as Steve would have, including supporting Tyler’s decision to follow his love for dance, per The Tennessean.
“His dad would say if they ever wanted to do something other than sports, let them do it,” she told the outlet. “A lot of people will make them play basketball or football because they’re athletes. It’s not fun if they’re doing something they don’t want to do.”
According to his Instagram bio, Tyler is a dancer, choreographer and model. Trent, meanwhile, plays basketball for Palm Beach Atlantic University.
