“Steve McNair’s Widow Mechelle: Life Over a Decade After the NFL Star’s Tragic Murder”

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...