It was one of those moments where the time and place the news came remains frozen in memory. For me, I was shaving while worrying about all the stuff I needed to be worried about on the first day of what ended up being the last trial I handled before doing this on a full-time basis.
A friend called my cell phone to let me know that Redskins safety Sean Taylor had been shot by an intruder in his home.
Five years ago today, Taylor died from the bullet wound that severed his femoral artery and resulted in ultimately fatal blood loss. ESPN has put together an excellent reflection on the life of Taylor, the fifth overall pick in the 2004 draft and only 24 at the time he was murdered; receiver Santana Moss is still shaken by the incident.
Sean Taylor died protecting his Miami home, his girlfriend, and their 18-month-old daughter against intruders who assumed Taylor would be with the Redskins. He wasn’t, due to an injury.
Taylor’s early NFL years featured on-field and off-field incidents, from spitting in the face of Bucs running back Michael Pittman to brandishing a gun during a dispute over ATVs. By all accounts, the birth of his daughter had caused Sean Taylor to change, to mature.
The fact that he is still remembered so fondly and emotionally by those who knew him five years after his passing underscores that he was a special talent and a special person. Via WUSA, here’s a look at some of Taylor’s biggest hits; the biggest likely came on an afternoon in Hawaii, when he treated the Pro Bowl like anything but the glorified game of full-padded-two-hand-touch it has become.
We continue to wish Taylor’s family and teammates well, specifically his daughter, Jackie, who is now six years old and growing up without her father.