It’ll be 14 years this July since Steve McNair tragically lost his life in a murder-suicide, but his memory lives on in several ways, including in the dreams of fellow Tennessee Titans legend, Eddie George.
George was recently a guest on Shannon Sharpe’s podcast “Club ShayShay” and revealed that he still has dreams about his former teammate, who passed away on July 4, 2009.
“I dream about him a lot, actually,” George admitted. “And, in the dream, we’re out at the practice field — I can hear his laugh, so distinct, his distinct laugh — and he’s laughing and he’s joking with me and I say to him, ‘see, you’re not dead.’ And I wake up and I’m like, damn, he’s physically gone but I think it’s his way of telling me that, ‘I’m not. I’m on the other side, it’s a different phase of life but I’m not [gone].'”
George went on to recall McNair’s career in Nashville, but what stuck out to him the most is how No. 9 battled through the tough times in his career to become the player he eventually was.
“There were some tough times when the fans booed him, when he couldn’t throw a five-yard out with confidence, when he wasn’t Air McNair,” George explained. “He was a manager and he was selfless to the point where he didn’t say much, he knew his role.
“But once he committed to his craft and dedicated to being the quarterback that he wanted to be, he was awesome. I watched him go from not being able to throw a five-yard out to being masterful calling plays within a play on the football field.
“Want five wides, and checking the plays, manipulating the defense with his eyes and the safety, all that stuff. It was awesome to watch that. To watch him go from that to MVP was awesome, man.”
Steve McNair comes to Eddie George in his dreams
Episode 72 with @EddieGeorge2727 is out now. Watch on @ClubShayShay’s YouTube or listen on Apple and Spotify. pic.twitter.com/2PkC3D0GZK
— shannon sharpe (@ShannonSharpe) February 6, 2023
It’s hard not to be sad when you hear George’s story or even hear McNair’s name in general because of the tragic way he died, but it’s also important to remember all the good times McNair gave us during his time in Nashville.
It was truly an honor to watch him play football. He may be gone, but his memory will live on, and George’s story is a prime example of that.