NASHVILLE, Tenn. — An emotional Jeff Fisher says his former quarterback Steve McNair was a "great person" who put the Tennessee Titans' franchise on the NFL map.

The Titans coach Monday called the slain quarterback one of the "greatest competitors of all time on the field." Fisher was the only coach McNair had for the first 11 years of his NFL career, and the coach said McNair's legacy is what he did on the field and in the community.

"The Steve McNair that I knew would want me to say, 'I'm sorry. I'm not perfect. We all make decisions sometimes that are not in the best interests. Please forgive me.' The Steve McNair that I knew would want me to say, 'Celebrate my life for what I did on the field, for what I did in the community, the kind of teammate that I was,' " Fisher said.

"That's what the Steve that I knew would want me to say."

McNair apologized publicly in 2003 hours after being charged with drunk driving when he had a 0.18 blood alcohol content. This time the consequences of his actions were fatal.

McNair was found shot to death Saturday, alongside 20-year-old Sahel Kazemi in Nashville. Police have said McNair, a married father of four, had been dating Kazemi and ruled his death a homicide.

A Kazemi relative said she bought a gun a couple days before the shootings.

The Titans coach had been in Iraq as part of an NFL trip last week to visit the military. His cell phone service resumed after the group landed in Kuwait, and Fisher noticed a string of calls had come in when Eddie George called and wound up informing the coach of McNair's death.

George also attended Monday's news conference and said he only called Fisher hoping to learn more information. Fisher last saw McNair when he played at the coach's annual charity softball game on June 20 when the quarterback had his wife, Mechelle, and his sons.

Fisher asked for prayers for McNair's wife and family and said he's still shocked by McNair's death at 36.

"This is hard. This is hard on everybody. This is not an easy thing. There will be a void. Again, I'll fill that void with those memories. That's what we have to do," Fisher said.

Fisher's first full season was in 1995 when the then-Houston Oilers made McNair the No. 3 pick overall in that year's draft. Fisher eased McNair into the lineup slowly, giving him spot duty over his first two seasons before turning the team over to McNair.

Fisher, George and other ex-teammates who attended the news conference tried to focus on the tough player they knew and not the circumstances of his death.

Fisher said he hopes McNair will be remembered for the type of player and person he was — and forgiven.