November 26, 2007

Redskins' Taylor Shot by Intruder: Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor is in critical condition after being shot twice by an intruder early Monday at his Miami home. Taylor, 24, was the fifth overall pick in the 2004 draft and leads the team in interceptions. He's reportedly in emergency surgery.

posted by rcade to football at 01:07 PM - 65 comments

Does this sound just a tad fishy to anyone else?

posted by Tinman at 03:45 PM on November 26, 2007

allow me to retort: Antoine Walker Dunta Robinson Eddy Curry see a pattern?

posted by Mike McD at 03:54 PM on November 26, 2007

I guess the "bad" company did not want to stay away from him. Seriously, I'd like to think that Taylor was doing the right thing for his family, and baby by staying away from the "bad" company. Maybe, just maybe, this was a random armed robbery that went wrong. But with the recent break-in and threat (knife on bed), damage to A/C vent, keeping a machete under the bed, and all the past incidents listed in the article, all I can think is: If you play with fire, you might get burned.

posted by BoKnows at 05:05 PM on November 26, 2007

Best wishes to him.

posted by rockstar2001 at 05:31 PM on November 26, 2007

reports are that he was hit in the femoral artery and is in a coma. that's a dreadful injury. he would have bled a lot with the corollary loss of oxygen to brain. i hope he's okay. sounds like his teammates really care about him and he's grown up a lot.

posted by Mike McD at 06:40 PM on November 26, 2007

Does this sound just a tad fishy to anyone else? Someone gets shot and it's not supposed to sound fishy? What's your point?

posted by lil_brown_bat at 07:25 PM on November 26, 2007

point is.. this guy is a thug wannabe.. which being that he played at miami.. no surprise.

posted by jlh0837 at 09:22 PM on November 26, 2007

point is.. this guy is a thug wannabe.. which being that he played at miami.. no surprise So from your opinion, it's fine that he got shot while his girlfriend and few months old child were in the home because he played in Miami while in college? Just heard this morning that Sean Taylor passed away from extensive loss of blood. R.I.P. *

posted by BornIcon at 05:10 AM on November 27, 2007

Wow. No matter the what the circumstances may be, or may wind up being, that's just another tragic ending to a young life.

posted by dyams at 05:13 AM on November 27, 2007

Very true dyams and at only 24 years of age. Just sad.

posted by BornIcon at 05:15 AM on November 27, 2007

RIP Sean Taylor.

posted by Mr Bismarck at 06:11 AM on November 27, 2007

Antoine Walker Dunta Robinson Eddy Curry My thought as well. Don't know if there are just more media reports this year or if robberies against athletes are becoming more common. ESPN said this was the second attempt on Taylor's house in a week. Makes sense on a Sunday, I suppose. An awful story.

posted by yerfatma at 06:26 AM on November 27, 2007

point is.. this guy is a thug wannabe.. People are way too comfortable throwing around that label on athletes. Taylor was never convicted of a crime. At the time he died he was defending his wife and infant daughter from a home invasion.

posted by rcade at 06:58 AM on November 27, 2007

Deepest condolences to Taylor's family, friends and loved ones. RIP.

posted by scully at 07:19 AM on November 27, 2007

RIP, Sean Taylor

posted by texasred at 07:33 AM on November 27, 2007

R.I.P.

posted by yzelda4045 at 07:36 AM on November 27, 2007

point is.. this guy is a thug wannabe.. which being that he played at miami.. no surprise. Correction: he is no longer anything, except dead. Your opinion on what he was sounds to me like an ignorant snap judgment rather than the product of fact and reasoning, but even if it were a well-reasoned conclusion, it would be highly inappropriate to express it as you have. You should feel ashamed of yourself.

posted by lil_brown_bat at 07:45 AM on November 27, 2007

.

posted by opel70 at 07:50 AM on November 27, 2007

No matter the circumstances this is very sad. He was only 24 and has a young daughter that now grows up without her Dad. From everything I have read having that little girl changed him. RIP Sean Taylor My prayers to him and his family.....

posted by T.C. at 08:35 AM on November 27, 2007

no.. i dont feel ashamed.. if his house was burglarized eight days before, he should have taken better action to prevent it again. plus he kept a machete next to the bed, he should have been smarter than this, never bring a knife to a gun fight.

posted by jlh0837 at 08:48 AM on November 27, 2007

Is it very easy for you to be so smug about someone's death jlh0837?

posted by kokaku at 09:02 AM on November 27, 2007

.

posted by tommybiden at 09:06 AM on November 27, 2007

Do you honestly want to hear more of jlh's opinion, kokaku? Better to ignore someone like this and hope he gets the idea. Just a troll trying to get a rise out of people. Ignore him and move on.

posted by DudeDykstra at 09:13 AM on November 27, 2007

jlh-I wonder how you would act in a home burglary? And most people wouldn't expect it to happen again. Not so soon anyway. Sympathy to his family, friends and teammates.

posted by LadyGen at 09:18 AM on November 27, 2007

yes it is kokaku. his death has no bearing on my life in any way. which i am positive it doesnt have any bearing on 99 percent of the population. and by the way dudedykstra.. i am not a troll i am the devil.

posted by jlh0837 at 09:20 AM on November 27, 2007

well ladygen.. i keep a gun next to my bed, plus i spent 8 years in the marines, i am pretty confident if someone was to break in my home.

posted by jlh0837 at 09:22 AM on November 27, 2007

If his death has no bearing on your life, then why are you discussing it? Trying to elicit an angry response from people because you have all the answers is tedious. Go play that game someplace else.

posted by rcade at 09:40 AM on November 27, 2007

It's sad and a shame. What's really sad is that he brought a machete to a gun fight.

posted by budman13 at 09:53 AM on November 27, 2007

It really is a shame when someone can look at someone's death with no sense of compassion. Especially, coming from someone that claims to have been a Marine. Semper Fi...Hoorah!!

posted by BornIcon at 10:00 AM on November 27, 2007

his death has no bearing on my life in any way. [NOT BUDDHIST] Pretty much the definition of a NUF CED commenter.

posted by yerfatma at 10:03 AM on November 27, 2007

It's sad and a shame. What's really sad is that he brought a machete to a gun fight. Someone already said that joke, and it wasn't funny the first time either.

posted by lil_brown_bat at 10:25 AM on November 27, 2007

wow... you people are way to serious. i am just giving my opinion.. you dont have to like it, i could care less... just stating the obvious. i am sorry he died, but he was in no way a saint. you know when he was playing and also getting in trouble with the law, i am sure all you people werent sending your thoughts and prayers to his family and friends so that he would get his life straightened out, now that he has passed, everyone has to come out and show support... well where was the support when he was getting arrested. the sad part is that the guy has to die to be talked about as a great individual.

posted by jlh0837 at 10:31 AM on November 27, 2007

i think you got them all with that one jlh0837. good job

posted by Debo270 at 10:38 AM on November 27, 2007

the sad part is that the guy has to die to be talked about as a great individual What just flew by your head was the point because you my friend, just missed it. Where does anyone say that he was a "great individual" like you claimed? People are just expressing their thoughts and prayers to a human being who's life was senselessly taken away, and for what? Nothing.

posted by BornIcon at 10:41 AM on November 27, 2007

...but he was in no way a saint... And you know this how, jlh0837? And please take your comments elsewhere. Sportsfilter isn't like the other sports blogs. We respect each other's opinions and we don't flame just to flame. R.I.P. Sean Taylor. Too young.

posted by steelergirl at 10:55 AM on November 27, 2007

Whenever somebody passes at a young age and under these circumstances it's senseless and tragic. My prayers and best wishes go out to the family in their hour of sorrow. Making disparaging remarks about a person that passed is classless and without merit. Better to offer condolences and leave it at that.

posted by smdragon at 11:08 AM on November 27, 2007

Judging this guy as a thug wannabe and since he played his college football at Miami,what are you trying to point out jlh0837 that all or any player coming out of the U of Miami comes as no surprise that this happened,but if he played at say Ohio State makes it any different?The bottom line is that a human life has been taken here.

posted by Ghastly1 at 11:13 AM on November 27, 2007

Better to offer condolences and leave it at that. Even better, if you have nothing to offer in the conversation, hit the round button on the front of your computer.

posted by hawkguy at 11:18 AM on November 27, 2007

In many deaths -- probably most -- the deceased has done something that could be said to contribute to his or her passing. A smoker dies of lung cancer -- yeah, that probably had something to do with it. A lifelong red-meat-eater dies of colon cancer -- good chance that was a factor. A woman dies of breast cancer -- well, now, after Mom and Aunt Betty and Aunt Sally and her older sister were diagnosed, maybe she shoulda been just a bit more aggressive about getting tested. A swimmer drowns -- looks like she overestimated her capabilities. A mountain climber falls -- well, what was he doing up there in the first place? The only unassailable facts here are that we all die, and that almost none of us get some kind of sealed envelope from God saying, "If you go into that bar/eat that steak/smoke that cigarette/jump into that lake, YOU WILL DIE as a result." Certainly Sean Taylor didn't get any such message. The warnings of death are rarely unambiguous, and the proper course of action is usually only certain in hindsight, if then. Right now, we don't even have the benefit of hindsight in looking at Taylor's death -- we don't know who killed him, or why -- and already people are judging that he brought it on himself. I have always found such reasoning suspect, and the need (if you can call it that) to render such judgment incomprehensible. It saves no lives. It consoles no one. It accomplishes no worthwhile purpose whatsoever.

posted by lil_brown_bat at 11:54 AM on November 27, 2007

Well said lbb. Classy.

posted by BornIcon at 12:17 PM on November 27, 2007

neither does this blog. I'm going out to save someones life.

posted by volfire at 12:21 PM on November 27, 2007

It saves no lives. It consoles no one. It accomplishes no worthwhile purpose whatsoever. I have to disagree with that. I don't associate with certain people (rapists, murderers, drug deals) in part because I know getting caught up in that kind of environment is a very good way to bring an early death upon myself. In some instances, yes, people do bring early death upon themselves. It doesn't make it right, it doesn't mean there shouldn't be sorrow at a the person's passing, and I am by no means lumping Sean Taylor into category (I don't know enough about his life to make in informed opinion one way or the other), but certain activities can lead to premature demises. Obviously, running with a bad crowd doesn't necessarily lead to an automatic early death and a drug dealer can live to a ripe old age of 110, but certain activities and who we associate it can greatly influence out life expectancy. Not all, but a lot of our livelihood is in our hands.

posted by jmd82 at 12:23 PM on November 27, 2007

Overall this is just sad. Every time an athlete dies and someone posts it here, the conversation goes the same way. -20 comments say"R.I.P" -someone says "so and so was a thug or had it coming." -everyone attacks that person -we derail from the original story and no longer talk about anything sports related as we question the morals and ethics of each other and pro players we have never met. I see 6 other posted stories ,actually about sports"with a total of 12 comments and 45 comments back and forth about who is insensitive. give it up. no matter what he did or didnt and when he did or didnt do it, no one ,for the most part, deserves to be gunned down in front of their family in their home. the end (please feel free to take your shots at me now and correct my grammer or spelling)

posted by Debo270 at 12:32 PM on November 27, 2007

Sean Taylor was not a saint. I can offer not evidence to really support this, but I’m confident in that statement. Taylor was tough. He seemed to embrace toughness, and he sure as hell played tough. He played tough enough to cause “alligator arms” in some of the league’s best receivers and he played “over-the-line tough” enough to cause the league to discipline him multiple times. Sean Taylor was not a saint. He even once was investigated for taking a gun to a fight. It got him in trouble. Sean Taylor was not a saint, but every single person that knew him says the same thing: ‘Sean had changed recently. Becoming a father changed him. He had become more mature.’ He made mistakes. Those mistakes have been documented, but give the man credit for trying. It’s the very least we can do. He was becoming a better person. Sean Taylor was not a saint, but neither are you. Sean Taylor was not a Saint. He was a Redskin and, almost without argument, considered the best player on the team. He was an All-Pro and a clear standout in a secondary filled with first round picks. Greg Williams, his defensive coordinator, called him the finest athlete he had ever coached. He was a fan-favorite too, especially as he improved his discipline, yet still managed to keep his edge. His maturing play seemed to echo the sentiments about his personal life. Some other people will not miss him, but I will. For the next 10 or 15 years every time a pass is completed over the middle, I’ll wonder a little bit, just a little bit, about what might have been. Sean Taylor was 24 years old and the best player on the team. What would have become of our free safety? Of course, that wonder is only related to Sean as a football player. His teammates, friends, parents, fiancé, and daughter will be left with a deeper grief and are forced to wonder about far more serious things. That is really why we feel sadness and offer our condolences. And we do so even though we did not know him personally. You don't need to have had a personal relationship with him to share in the grief of those he was closest to. In fact, it is quite simply what decent people do at such a time. Sean Taylor might not have been a saint, but he was a maturing young man with tremendous talent, good friends and a growing family, and the brightest years of his life in front of him. His death is tragic. Rest in peace, Sean.

posted by 86 at 12:36 PM on November 27, 2007

well ladygen.. i keep a gun next to my bed, plus i spent 8 years in the marines, i am pretty confident if someone was to break in my home. posted by jlh0837 at 9:22 AM CST on November 27 Thieves tend to rob homes that appear to have valuables, they usually stay away from dwellings with steering wheels, trailer hitches etc. Maybe when your mother dies, someone will remind you about that time she stole her Avon profits. God bless the Taylor family.

posted by FlyerFan at 12:38 PM on November 27, 2007

The dignity of humanity is inviolable, and each and every human being has the same, everlasting value. We all have a common duty to defend human dignity. Human dignity is humanity's shared possession, a possession which we all have both a part in and a responsibility for. We are bound together in a common lot which makes it impossible for us to be unaffected by the fate of others. "No man is an island, intire of its self; every man is a piece of the Continent, a part of the maine; if a clod bee washed away by the sea, Europe is the lesse, as well as if a Promontorie were; as well as if a Mannor of thy friends or of thine owne were; any mans death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankinde; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee." English poet John Donne

posted by irunfromclones at 12:42 PM on November 27, 2007

irunfromclones- Well said and moving quote.

posted by smdragon at 12:51 PM on November 27, 2007

.

posted by Joey Michaels at 01:00 PM on November 27, 2007

RIP, Sean Taylor. One of two defensive players (the other being Ed Reed) for whom I would watch an otherwise crappy game just to see. And for what it's worth, I believe (but am not certain) that Taylor was not permitted to possess a gun on account of his probation in connection with prior weapons charges.

posted by holden at 01:16 PM on November 27, 2007

Sorry Lil' brown bat but I wasn't making a joke.

posted by budman13 at 01:24 PM on November 27, 2007

.

posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 03:12 PM on November 27, 2007

i've heard he turned around since his daughter was born, and i don't know if he's had any off the feild stuff but he had many fines for hitting hard ,but if you wanna call that thuggish then John Lynch is a thug too. And also just becuase a few bad apples came from Miami doesn't mean everybody is, Hell Frank Gore came from Miami, and i don't think anybody cwould call him a thug.

posted by rockstar2001 at 06:48 PM on November 27, 2007

Yep. People are pretty comfortable thinking they can judge this guy. "Well, he was a rich black man from the ghetto and I heard he even was stopped by the police!" C'mon - that doesn't wash. I just don't buy the whole "he hung around dangerous people" bullshit, either. Some of you are taking a real superior attitude into it, too. Like you can imagine, sitting in your living room/parent's basement/whathaveyou that you have even an iota of honest to goodness knowledge about the guy is ridiculous. So you've said you're little piece about how Taylor's death is entirely explainable (and it might be given the rash of these kind of robberies) by his own lifestyle. Thanks for that. Feel free to begin the ritual of smug self-righteousness. Mine usually involves some kind of jaunty hat.

posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 07:03 PM on November 27, 2007

Stop posting actual descriptions of how he actually behaved. It is making it difficult for me to hold on to my unjustified preconceived notions about him.

posted by Joey Michaels at 07:41 PM on November 27, 2007

Sean Taylor has made mistakes, but haven't we all. When one of us passes I doubt that our darkest secret or worst mistake will be our defining moment or part of the grieving. Sean Taylor may have hit hard and had a scrape or two. but was a person that matured greatly. He didn't talk to the press because he was uncomfortable with it due to being a very shy person. He was LOVED by his teammates, family and daughter. Sean Taylor grew up in a rough section of Miami. He got himself a scholarship to a reputable prep school and got good grades, was polite and helped spearhead their fundraising. He supported the other teams and was by all accounts a great guy to be around. He was not in the clubs at night when he was injured, he was getting treatment and taking care of his family. On the news tonight they interviewed the local children from Taylor's neighborhood in Virginia. They were all devestated and spoke of what a great friend he was to them. "Thugs" do not regularly invite the neighborhood kids over to play video games and teach them how to fish in the pond behind his house. They do not invite their parents over to see where their kid is spending time and how. The parents and neighbors all spoke of how respected he was- not because he was a football player- but because he cared about them all and their well being. Sean Taylor will be missed by a lot of people, not only as a football player, but as a caring human being.

posted by urall cloolis at 10:42 PM on November 27, 2007

"Thugs" do not regularly invite the neighborhood kids over to play video games and teach them how to fish in the pond behind his house. They do not invite their parents over to see where their kid is spending time and how. That's awesome. Thanks for that.

posted by yerfatma at 06:34 AM on November 28, 2007

Now that we've established that Taylor was a good guy, I almost wish we hadn't.

posted by rcade at 11:18 AM on November 28, 2007

From what I have read, and I try to say this without being judgemental, it appears that Sean Taylor was a young kid who made some young kid mistakes in his choices of those with whom he hung around. Once he began to mature and realize who and what he could be, he changed his style. The great tragedy is that as fast as he might have been on the football field, he could not outrun his past.

posted by Howard_T at 12:41 PM on November 28, 2007

he could not outrun his past Assumes facts not in evidence in order to repeat a treacly homily. You're in contempt, counselor.

posted by yerfatma at 01:29 PM on November 28, 2007

I plead the fifth...the one I should be drinking, that is.

posted by Howard_T at 04:22 PM on November 28, 2007

Something else to check out...... http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-rolle-taylor&prov=ap&type=lgns

posted by BoKnows at 04:12 PM on November 29, 2007

I hope this does not wind up in a cold case file. Or even worse, get settled by street justice. .

posted by Newbie Walker at 01:16 AM on November 30, 2007

So much for playing with fire, thug wannabe, bad company, and your past catching up with you.

posted by lil_brown_bat at 01:06 PM on November 30, 2007

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