Odds and Sods

Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor died this morning at 5:30 AM, from complications resulting from a gunshot wound.

Taylor was shot by an intruder at 1:45 AM Monday in his Miami home.  The bullet entered his upper leg, severing the femoral artery.  Taylor had been in a coma following surgery and a massive amount of blood loss.

He had returned to Miami to visit his girlfriend and 1 year old daughter while rehabbing from an injury.

He had previously been arrested in an incident involving battery and aggrevated assault with a firearm.  The charges were later dropped as part of a plea agreement where Taylor did community service and made donations to 10 South Florida schools.  There is no reason to believe that the incidents were connected.

Taylor was a standout at the University of Miami, a member of the National Championship winning team in 2001.  He was the #5 overall draft pick by the Redskins in 2004.  He was known as “Meast” (Half-Man, Half-Beast) by his teammates for his distinctive hard-hitting style on the field.  He earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2006, and appeared well on the way to doing so this season.

He had matured greatly over the past season.  “Ever since he had his child, it was like a new Sean, and everybody around here knew it. He was always smiling, always happy, always talking about his child” teammate Clinton Portis told ESPN.

“It’s a tremendously sad and unnecessary event. He was a wonderful, humble, talented young man, and had a huge life in front of him. Obviously God had other plans,” his former attorney Richard Sharpstein told ESPN.

As a high-profile black male with a criminal record, his death will undoubtedly spark speculation and stories about violence, the African-American community, “the U” culture at Miami and other such things abhorrent to respectable white people.  However, the true tragedy should not be lost.

The death of a football player should resonate with many, but the death of a young man and a father should resonate with all.