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Friday, November 30, 2007

The Death of Sean Taylor: An Awful Tragedy


Brian here to share some thoughts of the tragic death of Redskins safety Sean Taylor. As a Redskins fan and a lifelong Washington D.C. area resident, the news that Sean Taylor had been shot hit me like a ton of bricks. I could not do work the entire day and sat at my desk refreshing Hailredskins.com and other websites for the latest information. I went to bed that night, like many other people, encouraged by the news that Taylor was responsive. When I woke up the next morning I immediately went to my computer for the latest news. The headline Sean Taylor dead at the age of 24 jumped out and smacked me in the face. I felt like I was going to throw up. I went to work and was as unproductive as the day before. I have never seen the D.C. area in such a state of shock and mourning. The shock of 9/11 was pretty awful but it felt like such an international and surreal thing that it affected me in a different way.

I have never before been upset over a celebrity death. I think the reason is that Sean Taylor represented so much to the Washington Redskins and the D.C. area. He was someone who gave a team that hadn't had success in over 10-years something to be proud of on Sundays. When I would watch the games with my dad we would always enjoy watching Taylor make the big hit or big interception. Even though the team has a long way to go, at least we have Taylor. He was the promise of great things to come. He was a man who could do things athletically that none of us could ever even fathom doing. Taylor gave the Redskins defense and the entire team an identity. #21 also was someone who you could relate to in some ways. He had made mistakes in the past like all of us had. He had also turned his life around when he became a father and also become a better player on the field. This was something that Redskins fans had been talking about all year.

The world lost someone who was just beginning to become a great player and even better person. The worst part is there is no upside to this tragedy. There is no light at the end of the tunnel. A little girl has lost her father. A mother and father have lost a son. The Redskins organization has lost its best player. Players have lost a friend, teacher, and teammate.

I just hope that the punks who did this are brought to justice and never take another breath as free men. At least that will make it easier to sleep at night. The only other good thing I can think of is that G-d drafted one hell of a safety.

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