Steve McNair surprised fans and teammates today and announced he will not play football next season. After 13 NFL seasons, the Pro Bowl quarterback will retire.
McNair received a standing ovation when he broke the news at the Baltimore Ravens’ headquarters, where he’s played the past two seasons. Some of his teammates who were also traded from Tennessee to Baltimore – Somari Rolle and Derrick Mason – called him a ‘sure-fire Hall of Famer.’
Many still think of McNair as a Titan, where he led the team to its only Super Bowl appearance. Viviana Dunigann, a Nashville college student, says she recalls how often McNair played hurt.
“He’s a fighter, I’ll tell you. It’s the truth. I don’t see too many quarterbacks like that now. I mean, he played through everything…I never saw him complain. Going through all the injuries he had and just being the type of person he was on and off the field, never met, but he just seemed like he had a great character.”
McNair told fans it is a sad day for him, but that he’ll now be a better father, see his kids grow up and have a personal life that wasn’t possible during football season.
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