A three-hour visitation for slain ex-NFL quarterback Steve McNair was held Thursday in Tennessee at the Mount Zion Baptist Church as well as a memorial service later in the evening.
Some fans attending the service wore their Tennessee Titans to view the closed silvery-gray casket topped with white lilies next to a portrait of the former Titans star. A helicopter provided live TV footage as McNair’s body was taken by hearse to his church for a memorial service Thursday night.
Titans owner Bud Adams, Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen, and many of McNair’s current and former teammates attended the memorial service. Derrick Mason, who played with McNair in both Tennessee and Baltimore spoke along with Titans coach Jeff Fisher.
Also present was McNair’s wife, Mechelle, who later left wearing sunglasses. It was her first public appearance since her husband died, and press photographers were asked not to take pictures of her or other family members.
Approximately 4,500 filled the church sanctuary for the memorial service, and church officials had overflow areas with a handful of people there.
The Titans estimated approximately 9,000 people had visited LP Field, where fans could reminisce about his career, between Wednesday and midday Thursday. A couple of radio stations were broadcasting from the stadium where the shop had sold out all of its McNair merchandise except for a few children’s shirts.
Information from Eurweb.com and the Associated Press contributed to this report.