After a chance encounter with former Titans quarterback Steve McNair 15 years ago, Rachel Herren was blamed for the Tennessee Titans’ loss against the St. Louis Rams at the 2000 Super Bowl Championship.
Herren, a START intern on the Open Source Intelligence on Organized Crime and R/N Trafficking Project, was sent home from elementary school after being diagnosed with pink eye in both eyes. Instead of taking her home, her parents strung her along on several errands. One stop was a fish market in Nashville, Tennessee, where they met McNair.
The Herrens approached McNair to confirm that he was actually the famous Titans quarterback. Once he said yes, McNair gave Herren his autograph on a hot pink sticky note, shook her hand and hugged her.
A few days later, the St. Louis Rams beat the Tennessee Titans 23-16 at the Super Bowl. With six seconds left in the game, the Titans had a chance to tie the Rams, but wide receiver Kevin Dyson missed the end zone by one yard. Herren was devastated.
After the game, Herren’s mother recounted the family’s meeting with McNair to her co-workers. They responded negatively after learning that her sick daughter touched the team’s star player.
When she tells the story people blame Herren for getting McNair sick, impairing his vision and ultimately losing the Super Bowl championship. START can neither confirm nor deny that McNair contracted pink-eye from his encounter with Herren, but there is no evidence in the open-sources suggesting that he did.
“I continue to tell the story because it makes me laugh. It's something interesting that happened in my past that connects me to my favorite football team,” Herren said.
She added, “This [the blame] hasn't affected my love of the Titans at all. I'm still a huge Titans fan, even though we're now a terrible team.”
Herren is currently finishing her master’s degree in Forensic Psychology at George Washington University. She is a graduate of the University of Tennessee, where she double-majored in Psychology and Sociology/Criminal Justice. After her internship at START, she would like to work for the government, especially for agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Justice or Department of Homeland Security.