The murder of Steve McNair, the former quarterback of the Tennessee Titans, has long preoccupied sports fans in Nashville. Now Netflix has released a documentary on the subject that brings to light many details of the day of his murder on July 4, 2009.
In “Untold: The Murder of Air McNair,” filmmakers Rodney Lucas and Taylor Ward examine the controversy surrounding McNair’s murder. The case was ultimately ruled a murder-suicide of Sahel Kazemi, McNair’s girlfriend, who was also found dead in the Lea Street apartment in Nashville.
The film tells the story of McNair’s tragic death in the context of the spectacle that “Air McNair” was during his outstanding years with the Titans.
Here are five things we learned from the Netflix documentary, which was released for streaming on August 20.
Wayne Neely, who found Steve McNair’s body, shows the police cash during interrogation
Wayne Neely, who found the bodies of McNair and Kazemi, did not immediately call police. Instead, he called McNair’s longtime friend and former Alcorn State teammate Robert Gaddy, who then called police.
Neely, a former employee of Nashville Sporting Goods, was a friend of McNair’s and a co-tenant of the Lea Street apartment where McNair was found dead. He ultimately stated that he was late calling police because he was “too shocked” to call police.
Although this information was already known before the documentary, the film shows excerpts from Neely’s first police interrogation in which he shows the officers, among other things, a handful of cash.
During the interview, which took place on the afternoon of July 4, Neely said at one point that he “knows a lot of cops” while showing detectives a handful of cash. He then said, “I don’t know how this works,” while pulling bills from the stack of cash. One of the detectives interrupted him and said, “You don’t have to pay us.” Neely shakes his head and then responds, “You’re worth at least $20,” as he puts the cash away.
It is unclear what this cash presentation refers to. Neely was never charged with a crime in connection with McNair’s death.
Steve McNair and his long-time friend Robert Gaddy had a dispute
McNair and Gaddy’s friendship stretched back to their time at Alcorn State University, but according to the documentary, the two fell out in the weeks before McNair’s death.
In the documentary, Gaddy says the argument had to do with their business dealings, specifically a restaurant called Gridiron 9. Gaddy wanted McNair to open another business, but McNair wanted to open the restaurant. In the documentary, Gaddy says the argument was over a $13,000 check that they both signed.
WHAT HAPPENED: On the trail of a tragedy: Reconstruction of the last days of Steve McNair and Sahel “Jenni” Kazemi
In the film, Gaddy also expresses his sadness over McNair’s death, saying that if their relationship hadn’t been so strained, “maybe I could have been there to help” the night of McNair’s murder.
Kazemi’s ex-boyfriend calls Steve McNair his “favorite soccer player of all time”
Based on the crime scene in the apartment, investigators in Nashville concluded that Kazemi shot McNair four times with a 9 mm pistol and then shot himself once in the head.
KAZAMI: Death of Steve McNair: The behavior of Sahel “Jenni” Kazemi gives clues to the motive
In the documentary, filmmakers interviewed Keith Norfleet, Kazemi’s ex-boyfriend and an initial person of interest to police. During his interview, Norfleet described himself as a Titans fan and said McNair was his “favorite football player of all time.”
That attitude changed when he started seeing Kazemi with McNair.
“My ex-girlfriend, who I’m still in love with, should now be with my favorite football player of all time,” Norfleet said in the documentary. He also admitted that jealousy got the better of him when he made vague references to McNair on his now-deleted MySpace page.
Norfleet denies being in the Lea Street flat on the night of the murder.
What Jeff Fisher said to Steve McNair immediately after the 1-yard loss in Super Bowl 34
The film’s narrative discusses highlights from McNair’s 11-year career with the Titans, including the Titans’ dramatic 23-16 loss to the Rams in Super Bowl 34, where the Titans came up one yard short on a pass from McNair to wide receiver Kevin Dyson.
As the Rams celebrated on the field, Fisher can be seen kneeling on the field at the Georgia Dome, comforting his star quarterback. When Fisher was asked earlier what he said to McNair, he told reporters, “That’s between the coach and the player.”
In the documentary, Fisher reveals what he said to McNair on the field that day.
“I told him I loved him and that everything was going to be OK,” Fisher said. “He said, ‘I love you too, brother.'”
Jeff Fisher says some things about Steve McNair’s death are wrong
In the final moments of the documentary, Fisher admits that he questioned certain aspects of the murder.
“I can argue that this doesn’t fit,” Fisher said. “I can argue that this could be a possibility.”
The filmmakers also spoke with Vincent Hill, a private investigator who wrote a book about McNair’s death. Hill said Nashville police should have taken a closer look at Adrian Gilliam, the owner of the gun used to kill McNair. Gilliam initially told investigators he sold the gun to “a lady with dark hair,” but it later emerged he had been in a relationship with Kazemi in the weeks before the murder.
In 2010, Hill tried unsuccessfully to get police to reopen the case.
Gilliam’s connection to the murder was never fully established, leaving many to speculate about the true nature of the crime. In the film, Fisher is one of several friends of McNair who have no interest in re-examining the facts of the tragedy.
“I don’t know, I don’t want to speculate,” Fisher said. “Just let it go. Let it go.”
Alex Daugherty is the Predators reporter for The Tennessean. Contact Alex at [email protected]. Follow Alex on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @alexdaugherty1
