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(AP) Sports in 2009 looked down the barrel of a gun.
From Tennessee to Georgia to Nicaragua, gunfire crackled in July. The causes differed -- a romance gone wrong, a robbery botched, a self-inflicted wound -- but the outcome did not. A gun was the weapon of choice, and all were dead: a former star quarterback and two ex-boxing champions.
Steve McNair was dozing on his sofa in his Nashville condo one weekend when his 20-year-old girlfriend shot him four times. McNair was married with four sons. Police say the woman, Sahel Kazemi, was "spinning out of control" and suspected McNair was seeing someone else. The carnage did not end there. Kazemi turned the semiautomatic pistol on herself.
McNair was 36 and had left the NFL a year earlier. He spent 13 seasons in the league and was the heart of the Tennessee Titans. His closing drive in the 23-16 loss to St. Louis in the 2000 Super Bowl was one of the most riveting finishes in the history of the title game. He was a Pro Bowl player four times. He shared the MVP award in 2003. McNair was fierce on the field and generous off it.
"I'm going to miss you, No. 9," Titans coach Jeff Fisher said.
Vernon Forrest grew up in Georgia and fought in the 1992 Olympics with Oscar De La Hoya. He became a three-time champion and was the first to beat Shane Mosley. His manager said he was at a gas station when approached for money. Atlanta police said the 38-year-old boxer exchanged gunfire with two robbery suspects and was shot several times in the back. In a sport where bravado rules, Forrest had been known for his modesty and keeping the volume low.
"I viewed Vernon as a great competitor in the ring and an even greater man outside the ring," De La Hoya said.
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