NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- A Nashville judge has authorized the widow of retired NFL player Steve McNair to sell the restaurant he opened shortly before he was shot and killed.

Probate Court Judge Randy Kennedy this week cleared the sale of Gridiron9 by Mechelle McNair, administrator of the ex-player's estate.

According to court records, a potential buyer has come forward.

The judge denied an appeal by one of Steve McNair's business partners.

The quarterback who spent most of his career with the Tennessee Titans was shot to death July 4 by a young woman who then killed herself.

Earlier, a Nashville condominium complex dropped its claim against the estate. McNair was a co-signer on the lease of a condo for his cousin.