By Thomas Tereshinski
Published: November 28, 2007 PrintEmail
Father. Fiance. Football player. Warrior. Friend. Son. All of those words can not begin to describe the person who was Sean Taylor, safety of the Washington Redskins who passed away Tuesday morning after being shot 24 hours before in the leg.
By now, we all know the details. Someone broke in, Taylor went to investigate, and at least one person was waiting for Taylor. Taylor only had a machete with him, the burglar(s) had a gun. Two shots were fired. One pierced the femoral artery in his leg, the other missed.
Taylor was then flown to shock trauma near his home, and battled through seven hours of surgery, which included blood transfusions. He even flatlined twice during the surgery.
Last night, things perked up, as Taylor responded to stimuli, and some rumors said he opened his eyes. However, the Taylor family alerted the Redskins shortly before 6:00 AM that he had passed away.
He leaves behind his fiance and their daughter, who is 18 months old.
This event has shook the foundation of the Washington Redskins and their fans, including fans around the NFL. A vigil was organized by fans at Redskins Park last night, and will do something similar tonight. The organization has put together tributes at both Redskins Park and RFK. Roger Goodell, commissioner of the NFL, has released a statement, saying that all games this weekend will have a tribute to Taylor.
Some believe that Taylor's past may have caught up to him. There is no evidence to suggest he was in any sort of gang, but his actions in his first two seasons painted the picture of a maverick, someone above rules.
He skipped the NFL's mandatory rookie symposium, and was fined $25,000 for that. Taylor then signed his first contract, and was unhappy with it and summarily fired his agent. Against Tampa Bay in 2005, he spit on Michael Pittman. Taylor was also arrested for a DUI that was thrown out under appeal.
Taylor hit rock bottom when he brandished a gun on someone who alledgedly stole some ATV's from him. The whole ordeal was dragged out through about a year, and ended with Taylor being sentenced to 18 months probation.
Before being sentenced, Taylor's daughter was born. Teammates immediately noticed a change in Taylor. He became more involved as a leader not just for the defense, but for the entire team.
Outward, he did not talk to the media much and gave off the impression of a brooding personality, but he had a close inner circle of friends, which included both Clinton Portis and Santana Moss, two former teammates with Miami.
The media, especially the national media, may run with Taylor. He did not trust the media, save for a few local beat writers, and even then, a feature story never had a direct quote from the man. Everything was gathered from friends like Portis, who even then did not say much. Some may be angry that Taylor never talked to them, and may paint this in a bad light.
But, who could blame Taylor? With all the things going wrong in his life, many writers were bashing him left and right when reporting on his court cases or problems on the field, including "Spit Gate." Why should he trust them?
Perhaps the best source about Taylor's kindness to his teammates comes from one of the Redskins who has been in Washington for a short amount of team. Pete Kendall was acquired from the New York Jets halfway through Training Camp, and was immediately welcomed by Taylor.
But, that wasn't what impressed Kendall the most about Taylor. He learned about his death in the morning from his children, who heard it on the radio. Taylor had also spent some time talking with Kendall's kids, and according to him, made a huge impact on them.
Sometimes, a person needs something big to happen before their life changes directions. The birth of Taylor's daughter was that change. Everyone on the Redskins saw that change, and how he reached out to all of his teammates, including a new one.
The Redskins will be playing their season for Sean Taylor, but their backs are against the wall, just like it was in the 2005 season. This time, they will be going without their best defensive player.
Oh, and this was just reported by the Washington Post. Dan Steinberg, a blogger and a columnist, was in contact with the NFL, and it turns out that Taylor was the leading vote-getter for the NFC Pro Bowl at free safety.
Rest in peace Sean Taylor......you will be missed by all.
