Fall of a Titan

SI: True Crime’s first narrative podcast, “Steve McNair: Fall of a Titan” will make you re-examine everything you think you know about the quarterback. His death, on July 4, 2009, was ruled a murder-suicide. But what if it wasn’t? Over the course of this nine-part series, we’ll guide you through the McNair case, reviewing the findings and re-examining crucial details in a new light. Coming October 17 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shortly after Steve McNair’s death, a former Nashville police officer named Vincent Hill starts digging into the case on his own, reaching out to the victims’ friends and family, talking to people tied to the events of July 4, 2009, and sifting through the swirling rumors. He also does a few TV interviews, questioning just about everything police say. When Hill realizes there’s an audience for his viewpoint, he takes his media tour to a whole new level. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vincent Hill introduces us to his investigative partner of sorts: Dr. Alvin Simpson, a close family friend of Steve McNair’s. Doc met Steve back at Alcorn State, where McNair was the star quarterback and where Doc was everyone’s favorite professor. Now Doc takes us on a trip back to Mississippi, to explore Steve’s history and to retrace the steps that led him to the condo where he was killed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Steve McNair is retired from football, he’s trying to find his identity and his marriage appears to be on the rocks. Then he meets Jenni Kazemi, a 19-year-old Dave & Buster’s waitress, and they strike up a fast romance. When Steve and Jenni turn up dead six months later, investigators point a finger almost immediately at Jenni. They portray her as spiraling out of control, fueled by jealousy and financial freefall. But that isn’t the Jenni friends and family knew. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jenni Kazemi’s phone records show that, in the last few weeks of her life, she was in regular contact with a number of male suitors. One of those men: Adrian Gilliam, an ex-con who allegedly sold Jenni the murder weapon. Another: Keith Norfleet, her ex-boyfriend who appeared to be jealous Jenni was dating McNair. The police interview and clear both men. But at least one of them seems to have lied about his alibi.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the afternoon of July 4, 2009, one of Steve McNair’s friends, Wayne Neeley, drops by McNair’s downtown condo and quickly realizes he’s stumbled upon a crime scene. Neeley calls Robert Gaddy, Steve McNair’s bodyguard and close friend, and Gaddy says: Wait there; I’ll be right over. But 55 minutes pass between Neeley’s arrival and Gaddy’s call to 9-1-1. Why did the two men wait so long to call police? And what did they find in that condo? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the aftermath of what police rule a murder-suicide, two family members on opposite sides of the tragedy take a serious and active interest in the case: Steve McNair’s mother, Lucille, and Jenni Kazemi’s older sister. Both women are distraught. Both have questions. Both go in search of answers. And that search leads them each to the same place: the Nashville Police Department. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the course of his 13-year NFL career, Steve McNair reportedly earned at least $90 million, and in the aftermath of his death those close to him wonder: Had McNair left behind a will explaining how to pass this on? He had. But it was unsigned. And so control over his estate is left to his estranged widow, Mechelle. The settling of that estate doesn’t exactly go over smoothly, and certain people are left to wonder: Why was the person who had perhaps the most to gain from Steve McNair’s death never interviewed by police? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After months of combing through the Steve McNair case, our reporter sits down with two Nashville PD detectives who worked the investigation as members of the department’s prestigious Homicide-Cold Case Unit: Pat Postiglione and Charles Robinson. As the two men defend their investigation, they reveal a startling new detail about Jenni Kazemi—a detail that could change the entire complexion of the case … if it’s even true. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vincent Hill presents evidence before a Nashville Grand Jury, asking to formally re-open the Steve McNair case. After that fails, Hill’s own investigation hits a roadblock. Our reporter takes stock of where everything stands now, the questions that remain unanswered, and what it’ll take for the case to ever get re-opened.     Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hi Fall of a Titan listener! We at SI are excited to share some of the best Sports + True Crime audio stories we have been working on for our podcast, Sports Illustrated Weekly. If you liked Fall of a Titan, we think these stories will be right up your alley. So give it a listen, and if you like what you hear head on over to the SI Weekly feed for more stories like this each and every week. Be sure to follow/subscribe to the show to get new episodes as they come out. Enjoy! Listen to Sports Illustrated Weekly The flight from Havana to Miami takes a mere 80 minutes, and for many Cubans, the promise of starting a new life in the US is too great to ignore. That's even more true for elite baseball players like Cesar Prieto who could make a fortune if he makes it to the big leagues. To complete his journey, Prieto would need some help, and that’s where the extractors come in. SI senior writer Greg Bishop introduces the unforgettable Jo Hastings and Billy Henderson and reveals what a defection sounds like as it happens. The Extractor on SI.com Follow @podcasts_si | @JohnGonzalez Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hi Fall of a Titan listener! We at SI are excited to share some of the best Sports + True Crime audio stories we have been working on for our podcast, Sports Illustrated Weekly. If you liked Fall of a Titan, we think these stories will be right up your alley. So give it a listen, and if you like what you hear head on over to the SI Weekly feed for more stories like this each and every week. Be sure to follow/subscribe to the show to get new episodes as they come out. Enjoy! Listen to Sports Illustrated Weekly On July 3rd of last year, Gene Siller went to work at the Pinetree Country Club to help staff set up for Independence Day celebrations. Unfortunately, he never made it back home, leaving his wife without a husband and his kids without a father. The story made headlines at the time, but none have gone as deep as a new piece from Sports Illustrated contributing writer Brian Burnsed. Article, He Followed His Golf Dream. In the End, It Was a Nightmare. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hi Fall of a Titan listener! We at SI are excited to share some of the best Sports + True Crime audio stories we have been working on for our podcast, Sports Illustrated Weekly. If you liked Fall of a Titan, we think these stories will be right up your alley. So give it a listen, and if you like what you hear head on over to the SI Weekly feed for more stories like this each and every week. Be sure to follow/subscribe to the show to get new episodes as they come out. Enjoy! Listen to Sports Illustrated Weekly Sports Illustrated senior writer Pat Forde tells us the story of Merl Code, a former sneaker executive who claims the biggest recruits to the biggest programs are all getting paid. We take you inside the scandal that rocked college basketball. Article: Merl Code Peels Back the Curtain on College Basketball’s Bribery Scandal by Pat Forde Special thanks to Sean Sullivan of Yahoo Sports for the Merl Code audio. It originally appeared on the College Football Enquirer podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hi Fall of a Titan listener! We at SI are excited to share some of the best Sports + True Crime audio stories we have been working on for our podcast, Sports Illustrated Weekly. If you liked Fall of a Titan, we think these stories will be right up your alley. So give it a listen, and if you like what you hear head on over to the SI Weekly feed for more stories like this each and every week. Be sure to follow/subscribe to the show to get new episodes as they come out. Enjoy! Listen to Sports Illustrated Weekly It began with fandom of one of the most iconic sports teams in the world, and ended with a bicycle-riding, Uzi-wielding assassin. In the shadow of Manchester United's legendary Old Trafford stadium, an almost mythic crime boss amassed power against a backdrop of drug trafficking, hooliganism, and rave music. Writer Reid Forgrave tells the story of Paul Massey, the Red Army, a grisly murder, and the one tiny mistake that landed two men in prison for life. Follow @podcasts_si | @JohnGonzalez Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ever wonder how some teams can seemingly do everything wrong and still generate record-profits? Or how some athletes end up going broke? Or why suddenly, everyone in pro sports seems to be obsessed with cryptocurrency? Former NFL running back (and Dancing With The Stars champ) Rashad Jennings has teamed up with award-winning journalist Lindsay McComick to help make sense of all the dollars, NFTs, cryptos and contracts that make up modern sports. They'll talk to gambling experts, NIL insiders, star athletes, agents, business mavens and more to bring you insights from all the intersections of sports and money. From Sports Illustrated and iHeart Radio - what are you waiting for? Get The Bag. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices