Remembering Sean Taylor the Right Way

“24-Year Pro Bowl Safety Sean Taylor died early Tuesday Morning after being shot by an intruder… How will this affect the Redskins future plans?”

We lost a human life here folks.  In the world of sports media I understand there are responsibilities and demands that must be fulfilled to their audience.  Understandably Taylor the player and Taylor the man are one in the same, but we aren’t talking about a broken bone or a torn ligament, we’re talking about murder.  Unfortunately as Sean Salsbury thumbs down his copy of the Redskins depth chart and discusses the possibilities of Taylor’s replacement, Pedro Taylor will be busy shopping for a casket and making funeral arrangements for his son.

Let’s not forget that the implications here are bigger than Football.  Joe Gibbs is certainly going to struggle to find someone that approaches the game with the same intensity, but his problems are minute compared to those that are going to inundate Jackie Taylor, Sean’s 1-year-old daughter, through her life due to this ruthless event.  What happens when her school hosts a father-daughter dance?  Who is going to teach her about boys, help with her homework, or just simply be there for her after she has a bad day?  I doubt the name will be found on Salsbury’s depth chart.

What about his girlfriend who was lying in bed next to him as the intruders burst through the door with their guns blazing?  How is she ever supposed to overcome the images that are certain to haunt her while she sleeps?  The self-guilt that is destined to appear in the coming months as the shock fades from her mind?  Is it fair that she will forever question herself and wonder what if?  Hopefully they have enough money so that she can focus on raising her daughter without having double shifts, but that won’t help them recover from this traumatic event.

Lives were destroyed here.  I understand how important the games are to the fans.  Of course the first thing that came to Redskins fans minds was the implications that this was going to have on their teams.  I remember when Daryl Kile passed away a few years ago.  The first thing I thought was how this was going to affect the Cardinals rotation.  Then after I realized what we were really talking about:   life and death.  Some things are bigger than the game.  This is one of them.  I’m no better than you, and I’m not scolding anyone for evaluating the future of this team, it’s what we do, it has to be done.  The games still go on, just have some compassion.  Realize the implications here are greater than who is going to pay free safety on Sunday.

Far too often we forget that these people are human beings before they are athletes.  Just because half the country worships them it doesn’t mean that they are immune, they are vulnerable as we are.  I just ask that we not lose sight of what happened here, the Redskins didn’t lose their Pro Bowl Safety, a 24-year-old man’s life was cut short due to an act of greed.

Just because they are on TV doesn’t mean they aren’t real people.    A father lost a son, a daughter lost her father, and a girl friend lost her lover and the father of her child.  That’s real.  What did you lose?  Your favorite football player?