The eyes saw 10 defenders line up on defense for the first play of Sunday’s game, but the heart knew there were 11. The Redskins honored their fallen safety with dignity, as team owner Daniel Snyder and running back Clinton Portis flew to Taylor’s side this past Monday. They further honored Taylor when Snyder pledged a half-million dollars to a trust fund for Taylor’s now fatherless 18-month-old daughter, Jackie.
Snyder also had each of his players remember Taylor by wearing a patch on their jerseys and the safety’s number 21 on their helmets. The team then flew in Taylor’s family and allowed his father, Pedro, to deliver an emotional speech to the team. His father encouraged the team to win five straight games and make the playoffs for Sean, but Washington (5-7) has now lost four straight and is fading quickly from the postseason picture. The team flew to Taylor’s funeral on Monday, and now must attempt to compose themselves in time for Thursday’s game against the Chicago Bears.
Taylor’s number 21 was painted into the grass outside FedEx Field, which quickly became a makeshift memorial, featuring signs, cards and several other mementos. Every fan at Sunday’s game was also given a towel embroidered with the number 21 to wave during the four minute pre-game video tribute.
Losing the game to Buffalo, therefore, was the least of the concerns for ’Skins players. Honoring Taylor was not contingent on whether or not the team won or lost. “Even if we had won the game,” said tackle Chris Samuels, “it wasn’t going to bring Sean back. We wanted to go out there and play as hard as we could for Sean because I feel like he would have laid it on the line for us. I felt like we played hard.”
The Kansas City Chiefs’ head coach Herm Edwards opened his weekly news conference offering a similar sentiment. “When you lose a young man like that, in the prime of his life, it sets you back,” Edwards said. “You think about the things you really feel bad about, and you figure out, ‘You know what? That’s not really too important in the grand scheme of it.’”
The words of other NFL players and coaches around the league echo the same message. Losing a man slightly older than an Amherst College student is a horrible tragedy, and one that puts life in perspective. Taylor had it all: a faithful wife, a beautiful daughter and a career of which many people can only dream. He did, however, have a past containing a certain amount of trouble.
In 2004, Taylor was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol following the birthday party of a Redskins teammate. In 2005, Taylor, while seeking a new contract with Washington, was the only player who refused to appear for a training mini-camp. Head coach Joe Gibbs acknowledged that he had no contact with Taylor, as the player had failed to return repeated phone calls from Gibbs and other members of the Redskins’ coaching staff. Later in the summer of 2005, Taylor was charged with aggravated assault with a firearm, a felony, and with misdemeanor battery. In accepting a plea agreement, Taylor donated his time to various charities and gave $1,000 in donations to 10 southern Florida schools in the form of scholarships. In exchange, he avoided jail time and a felony record.
When I first heard of Taylor’s gunshot wound, I was a bit skeptical of the situation, largely due to my knowledge of his prior troubles with the law. Had Taylor done it again? Did he put himself in a dangerous position? Was there any way he could have avoided it? The answer, ultimately, was no. Taylor was at his home with his wife when a senseless deviant used lethal force against him.
Taylor had proclaimed to be a changed man, and had played that way in making the Pro Bowl in 2006. The tragic death of Taylor is particularly hard for NFL players, who realize that their high profiles may make them “next” on the list. Although Taylor has had previous law troubles, this could have happened to any athlete. Anyone greedy enough, jealous enough, envious enough of the accomplishments of others can take the life of another young athlete in the same manner that Taylor’s was taken. I can only hope that those responsible for this horrendous crime are reprimanded accordingly, and that the Redskins are able to resurrect this season for their fallen teammate. That, undoubtedly, would have been Sean’s wish for his teammates: to never give up on themselves during a trying time in the midst of a trying season.
Quick Hits: BCS Madness!
Number-one ranked Missouri fell to Oklahoma this past weekend, and West Virginia succumbed to Pittsburgh. What the heck is going on out here? Every weekend, the rat race for the national championship becomes more clouded than it was the week before.
Due to these missteps, two more in what was a long list already, the National Championship Game will officially pit Ohio State against two-loss LSU. Both appeared at one point this season to be out of the championship picture, so neither intends to go down without a fight. The bad news, though: a college football season like this one may not come around again for a long while.