Sean Michael Maurice Taylor (April 1, 1983 – November 27, 2007) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are two slightly di ...

for the Washington Redskins of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...

(NFL). He was selected fifth overall in the 2004 NFL Draft by the Redskins, where he played four seasons until his murder in 2007. As a high school player, Taylor led

Gulliver Prep Gulliver Preparatory School or simply Gulliver Prep, is a private co-educational school. Its management offices are in Kendall, a census-designated place in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Its four campuses are across the county. Previously the ...

to a Florida state championship and set the state record for single-season touchdowns. Taylor played college football at

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at th ...

, where he was a member of the 2001 BCS National Championship team and won the Jack Tatum Trophy. With the Redskins, he gained a reputation as a hard-hitting player and was nicknamed "Meast" from the expression "half man, half beast." He made one

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

appearance in 2006. During the 2007 season, Taylor was shot by intruders at his Miami area home and died the next day on November 27. His death led to an outpouring of national support and sympathy, especially in the Washington, D.C. and Miami areas. Posthumously, he earned a second Pro Bowl selection and second-team

All-Pro All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list t ...

honors. Taylor was inducted to Washington's Ring of Fame in 2008.

Early life

Sean Taylor was born in Florida on April 1, 1983 to Pedro Taylor, a policeman, and Donna Junor. He spent his early years growing up with his great-grandmother Aulga Clarke in Homestead, Florida and later moved to his father's home at the age of 11. Taylor was baptized at the Bethel Seventh-day Adventist Church in Florida City by Pastor David Peay. He grew up in a low-income neighborhood in Miami, on a street lined with candy-colored houses. Taylor played high school football in Pinecrest, a suburb of Miami. He originally began his high school football career at Miami Killian High School, a Class 2A public school, but transferred to Gulliver Preparatory School, a Class prep school, where he was a three-sport star in football, track and basketball. He played both

offense Offense or offence may refer to: Common meanings * Offense or crime, a violation of penal law * An insult, or negative feeling in response to a perceived insult * An attack, a proactive offensive engagement * Sin, an act that violates a known m ...

and defense. Despite missing the first game of the season (the team's only loss), he helped Gulliver win the Florida Class 2A State Championship in 2000 with a 14–1 record. Taylor was a star on both sides of the ball during that season, playing

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. The ...

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

and

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, pl ...

.Beras, Erika
NFL's Taylor responsive after shooting
''

The Miami Herald The ''Miami Herald'' is an American daily newspaper owned by the McClatchy Company and headquartered in Doral, Florida, a city in western Miami-Dade County and the Miami metropolitan area, several miles west of Downtown Miami.Marianna High School. In

track & field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

, Taylor won the state 2A

100-meter dash The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contest ...

in 2000 and was also one of the state's top 400-meter dash sprinters. Taylor was considered the No. 1 prospect in Miami-Dade County by the '' Miami Herald''. He was also rated the nation's No. 1 skill athlete and an All-American by ''

Super Prep ''Super Prep'' is a sports magazine based in Laguna Beach, California, published in since 1985. It was founded and is published by Allen Wallace, a lawyer. Its main focus is to provide recruiting information on high school football players. In ...

''. Taylor was also an ''

Orlando Sentinel The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper of Orlando, Florida, and the Central Florida region. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company. The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by parent company, '' Tribune P ...

'' Super Southern Team selection, the No. 1 athlete on the '' Florida Times-Union'' Super 75 list and rated the No. 1 player in Florida by '' The Gainesville Sun''. In 2007, he was also named to the Florida High School Association All-Century Team, which selected the Top 33 players in the 100-year history of high school football in the state. After his death, Taylor was honored at Gulliver by a plaque that was placed in the school's cafeteria. The football field at Gulliver Prep was renamed Sean Taylor Memorial Field on September 5, 2009.

College career

Taylor was recruited to play for coach Larry Coker's

Miami Hurricanes football The Miami Hurricanes football team represents the University of Miami in college football. The Hurricanes compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, Footba ...

team at the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, ...

. He was also a member of the Hurricanes

team, competing in events such as the 100-meter and 200-meters.

2001 season

As a freshman (one of four true freshmen to play for the team), Taylor carved a niche for himself in Miami's secondary in nickel and dime defensive schemes. During the season, Taylor was named Big East Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance against the Pittsburgh Panthers. The Hurricanes won the national championship in 2001.

2002 season

In 2002, his first season as a starter, Taylor was a second-team All-Big East selection by the league's head coaches. He finished third on the team in tackles with 85 (53 solo), broke up 15 passes, intercepted 4 passes, forced one fumble, blocked one kick and returned a punt for a touchdown. He led all Miami defensive backs in tackles, interceptions and passes broken up, and had a career-high 11 tackles (2 solo) and intercepted 2 passes in the

Fiesta Bowl The Fiesta Bowl is an American college football bowl game played annually in the Phoenix metropolitan area. From its beginning in 1971 until 2006, the game was hosted at the Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. Since 2007, the game has been playe ...

loss to Ohio State. He made a critical play during the game, in which he intercepted Buckeyes quarterback Craig Krenzel in the endzone and returned the ball out of the endzone. Buckeyes running back Maurice Clarett ran Taylor down, and in the process stripped the ball away from him. Clarett recovered the ball for Ohio State, allowing them to kick a field goal to go up 17–7 at the time.

2003 season

Taylor produced an historic season during his final year at Miami that culminated with a plethora of honors and awards. He was named a unanimous first-team All-American, the Big East Conference Defensive Player of the Year and a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, given to the nation's best defensive back. He led the Big East Conference and ranked first nationally in interceptions with 10, tying the record for interceptions in a season with former Hurricanes standout

Bennie Blades Horatio Benedict "Bennie" Blades Sr. (born September 3, 1966) is a former American football cornerback and safety in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Miami. College career Blades played a big ...

. Taylor also finished first in total tackles with 77 (57 solo). He intercepted two passes in Miami's impressive 28–14 win over

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, playing a key role as the Hurricanes limited All-American receiver Larry Fitzgerald to just three receptions for 26 yards. He returned interceptions for an average of 18.4 yards, including a 67-yard touchdown return at

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifi ...

, a 50-yard scoring runback at Florida State and a 44-yard scoring runback against

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and wa ...

. His three touchdown returns of interceptions is a Miami single-season record. Taylor also competed in

as a senior for the Hurricanes. He placed 4th in the 100-meter at the Gatorade Invitational in

Coral Gables, Florida Coral Gables, officially City of Coral Gables, is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The city is located southwest of Downtown Miami. As of the 2020 U.S. census, it had a population of 49,248. Coral Gables is known globally as home to the ...

with a time of 10.77 seconds, behind teammates Terrell Walden, Roscoe Parrish and Travarous Bain. His best efforts for the season came at the Big East Outdoor T&F Championships in

Storrs, Connecticut Storrs is a village and census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Mansfield in eastern Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 15,344 at the 2010 census. It is dominated economically and demographically by the main campu ...

, where he ran personal-bests of 10.74 seconds in the

and 21.60 seconds in the 200-meter dash. He also participated as a member of the 4x100 relay.

College statistics

Professional career

Following his 2003 season, Taylor announced that he was entering the

NFL draft The National Football League Draft, also called the NFL Draft or (officially) the Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment. Each team is given a position in the drafting o ...

. He attended the

NFL Scouting Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Footba ...

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of U.S. state and territorial capitals, state capital and List of U.S. states' largest cities by population, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat, seat of ...

, but opted to skip all of the combine drills and only met with team representatives and personnel.

Washington Redskins

The

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) ...

selected Taylor in the first round (fifth overall) of the 2004 NFL Draft. He was the first of a record six players selected in the first round from the

; the other five players were Kellen Winslow II, Jonathan Vilma, D. J. Williams, Vernon Carey and Vince Wilfork.

2004

On July 27, 2004, the Washington Redskins signed Taylor to a six-year, $18.5 million contract that included a $13.4 million

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

and could have been worth $40 million with incentives and bonuses. His contract also included a seventh-year option. Taylor became the first top ten pick to sign his contract in 2004. On August 4, 2004, it was reported that Taylor fired his agents Eugene Mato and Jeff Moorad after he became unsatisfied with his contract. He fired them after other top ten picks signed their contracts and felt their deals were better in comparison. This marked his second time firing agents within five months after he fired agent Drew Rosenhaus two days after the NFL draft. He immediately rehired Rosenhaus, who served as his agent for the remainder of his career. Taylor also had an incident that involved his early departure during the NFL's Rookie Symposium which was mandatory for every incoming player from the draft and was held over four days. He left after the first day, but returned for the last two days at the urging of representatives from the Redskins. Over his first three seasons, Taylor also was fined at least seven times for late hits, uniform violations and other infractions. Throughout training camp, Taylor competed for the job as the starting free safety against Andre Lott. On August 9, 2004, Taylor made his professional NFL debut in the Redskins' preseason-opener as part of their second unit defense against the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...

. He recorded two interceptions in the second half off passes by rookie quarterback Matt Mauck. During the third quarter, Taylor intercepted a pass intended for

Jeb Putzier Jebediah Lee Putzier (pronounced PUTT-zeer) (born January 20, 1979) is a former American football tight end. He was drafted in the 6th round of the 2002 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos. Putzier also played for the Houston Texans, Seattle Seaha ...

and returned it for a three-yard touchdown to put Washington in the lead 10–9. Head coach Joe Gibbs named Taylor the backup free safety to begin the regular season, behind starter Andre Lott, after Taylor failed to surpass him on the depth chart. He made his professional regular season debut in the Washington Redskins' season-opener against the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

and assisted on one tackle in their 16–10 victory. In Week 3, Taylor earned his first career start after surpassing Lott on the depth chart and recorded four combined tackles and deflected two passes in the Redskins' 21–18 loss to the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divis ...

. On October 18, 2004, Taylor made four solo tackles, a pass deflection, a sack, and returned his first career interception for 45-yards during a 13–10 win at the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine ...

. He made his first career interception and sack during the game, recording both on quarterback Brian Griese. In Week 12, he collected a season-high ten combined tackles (seven solo) and broke up a pass in a 16–7 loss at the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Stee ...

. He finished his rookie season in with 76 combined tackles (60 solo), nine pass deflections, four interceptions, two forced fumbles, and a sack in 15 games and 13 starts.

2005

Before the season started, Taylor switched his jersey number from No. 36 to No. 21 after it was available due to the departure of cornerback Fred Smoot to the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansio ...

. Taylor kept the number when Smoot rejoined the Redskins in 2007, with Smoot opting to wear No. 27. Assistant head coach/defensive coordinator Gregg Williams opted to retain Taylor as the starting free safety to begin the regular season, alongside strong safety Ryan Clark. He started the Washington Redskins' season-opener against the

and recorded four solo tackles and broke up a pass in their 9–7 victory. On November 11, 2005, it was reported that Taylor and teammate

Clinton Portis Clinton Earl Portis (born September 1, 1981) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons. He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes. He was drafte ...

received fines from the NFL due to violating the league's uniform code during the Redskins' 17–10 home victory against the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

in Week 9. Taylor's fine was for $5,000 due to his choice of wearing white socks with a burgundy and gold striped pattern instead of the required all white socks. He was inactive for the Redskins' Week 10 loss at the

due to an injury. On January 1, 2006, he collected a season-high nine combined tackles and deflected two passes during a 31–20 win at the Philadelphia Eagles. Taylor finished the season with 70 combined tackles (60 solo), a career-high ten pass deflections, two interceptions, two forced fumbles, and a sack in 15 games and 15 starts. The Washington Redskins finished second in the

NFC East The National Football Conference – Eastern Division or NFC East is one of the four divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It currently has four members: the Dallas Cowboys (based in Arlin ...

with a 10–6 record and received a wildcard berth. On January 7, 2006, Taylor started in his first career playoff game and recorded seven combined tackles and returned a fumble recovery for a 51-yard touchdown in the first quarter of their 17–10 victory at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Referee Mike Carey ejected Taylor in the third quarter after he spit in Buccaneers' running back Michael Pittman's face. Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams stated Taylor denied the claim and he believed and stood by his player. During his rookie season, he allegedly spit in the face of wide receiver T. J. Houshmandzadeh, but was not reprehended due to the NFL being unable to recover clear video evidence. Two days later, the NFL fined Taylor $17,000 for the incident. The Redskins were eliminated the following game after losing 20-10 to the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 a ...

in the NFC Divisional Round. Taylor finished the loss with seven combined tackles and a pass deflection.

2006

Head coach Joe Gibbs named Taylor the starting free safety to start the regular season in 2006, along with starting strong safety Adam Archuleta. On October 15, 2006, Taylor collected a season-high ten combined tackles (eight solo) and deflected a pass during a 25–22 loss to the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...

. In Week 9, Taylor made eight combined tackles and returned a blocked 35-yard field goal attempt by Mike Vanderjagt for a 30-yard gain with less than six seconds left in the game. A facemask on Taylor by

Kyle Kosier Kyle Kosier (; born November 27, 1978) is a former American football guard who played in 143 games in the National Football League (NFL) for the San Francisco 49ers, Detroit Lions, and Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Arizona State U ...

added a 15-yard penalty and placed the Redskins in field goal range with an untimed down. Vanderjagt's game-winning field goal was blocked by

Troy Vincent Troy Darnell Vincent (born June 8, 1970) is a former American football cornerback for the Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Dolphins as the 7th ...

and allowed Redskins' kicker

Nick Novak Nicholas Ryan Novak (born August 21, 1981) is a former American football placekicker. He was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played college football at Maryland. Novak has played for the Washington Redskins, A ...

to kick a 47-yard game-winning field goal to defeat the

22–19. On November 26, 2006, Taylor recorded five combined tackles, two pass deflections, and intercepted a pass by quarterback Jake Delhomme in the Redskins' 17–13 win against the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...

. He made a key fourth down tackle on Delhomme in the fourth quarter and his interception sealed the Redskins' victory. He was voted as the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance. He finished the season with a career-high 111 combined tackles (86 solo), six pass deflections, three forced fumbles, and an interception in 16 games and 16 starts. During the season, Washington Redskins assistant coach Gregg Williams frequently called Taylor the best athlete that he had ever coached. Even while playing on a struggling Redskins defensive unit, Taylor's impact on the field was recognized when he was named a first alternate to the NFC's 2007 Pro Bowl team. When the NFC's first choice for safety, Brian Dawkins of the

, chose not to play in the Pro Bowl due to an injury, Taylor was named to the vacated spot, marking his first and only Pro Bowl appearance. A crushing hit by Taylor on

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division ...

punter Brian Moorman in the Pro Bowl created much fan and media discussion.

2007

Prior to the start of the 2007 season, ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twice ...

'' named Taylor the hardest-hitting player in the NFL. Before the season, in a rare interview, he was quoted as saying, " u play a kid's game for a king's ransom. And if you don't take it serious enough, eventually one day you're going to say, 'Oh, I could have done this, I could have done that.'" The season appeared to represent a personal turnaround for Taylor, as teammates said that he had finally gotten his life straightened out because of his daughter. Prior to the season's start, the Redskins decided to use Taylor in a more traditional free safety role with less responsibility. At the time of his death, Taylor was tied for the most interceptions in the

National Football Conference The National Football Conference (NFC) is one of the two conferences of the National Football League (NFL), the highest professional level of American football in the United States. The NFC and its counterpart, the American Football Conference ...

and second in the league with 5 despite having missed Weeks 11 and 12 with a knee injury. Taylor had also compiled 42 tackles, 9 passes defended and a forced fumble. On December 18, 2007, Taylor was posthumously voted to his second Pro Bowl, becoming the first deceased player in NFL history to be elected to the Pro Bowl. During the Pro Bowl, the Redskins players who had been selected,

Chris Samuels Chris Samuels (born July 28, 1977) is a former American college and professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons. He played college football for the University of Alabama, and w ...

, Chris Cooley and

Ethan Albright Lawrence Ethan Albright (born May 1, 1971) is a former American football long snapper who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons, primarily with the Washington Redskins. From 1995 to 2010, he was a member of the Redskins for ...

, wore #21 to honor Taylor. Like the Redskins had done earlier in the season, the NFC lined up with just one safety on the first play of the game.

NFL career statistics

Legal issues

In October 2004, Taylor was arrested in Fairfax County, Virginia, on a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol following a birthday party in Washington, D.C., for former Redskins receiver Rod Gardner. Pulled over for driving 82 mph on the Beltway, where the speed limit is 55 mph, Taylor failed a field sobriety test and then refused a blood alcohol (BAC) test, which resulted in his arrest. A Fairfax County judge acquitted Taylor of the charges in March 2005 after viewing a videotape of Taylor's roadside sobriety tests that, according to the judge, failed to demonstrate obvious

intoxication Intoxication — or poisoning, especially by an alcoholic or narcotic substance — may refer to: * Substance intoxication: ** Alcohol intoxication ** LSD intoxication ** Toxidrome ** Tobacco intoxication ** Cannabis intoxication ** Cocaine in ...

. Taylor was, however, convicted for refusing to take a blood alcohol test requested by a

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography an ...

state police officer. But when this case was heard on appeal in March 2005, Taylor was acquitted of refusing to take the BAC test, with the judge ruling there was a lack of probable cause for the request. Taylor was sought by police following a June 2005 incident in which bullets were fired into a stolen vehicle. During an April 2006 trial, Taylor pled no contest to misdemeanor battery and assault charges; he was placed on 18 months probation and ordered to support ten Miami-Dade County schools by speaking about the importance of education and donating $1,000 to each school.

Death

On November 18, 2007, burglars pried open a window to Taylor's empty home and rummaged through a desk and safe. On November 26, Taylor heard noises in his house and, while investigating the cause, he was shot in the upper leg by an intruder. His fiancée, Jackie García, and their 18-month-old daughter, Jackie, were unharmed. Taylor's

femoral artery The femoral artery is a large artery in the thigh and the main arterial supply to the thigh and leg. The femoral artery gives off the deep femoral artery or profunda femoris artery and descends along the anteromedial part of the thigh in the f ...

was severed, causing extensive blood loss, and he died the following day. Taylor's funeral was held at the

Pharmed Arena Ocean Bank Convocation Center (formerly known as Sunblazer Arena, Golden Panther Arena, Pharmed Arena, U.S. Century Bank Arena, and FIU Arena) is a 5,000-seat multi-purpose arena at Florida International University in Westchester, Florida. I ...

Florida International University Florida International University (FIU) is a public research university with its main campus in Miami-Dade County. Founded in 1965, the school opened its doors to students in 1972. FIU has grown to become the third-largest university in Florida ...

in Miami on December 3, 2007. On November 30, four menVenjah K. Hunte, 20; Eric Rivera, Jr., 17; Jason Scott Mitchell, 19; and Charles Kendrick Lee Wardlow, 18were arrested. Police said more than one confessed. All four men were charged with felony second-degree murder,

armed burglary Burglary, also called breaking and entering and sometimes housebreaking, is the act of entering a building or other areas without permission, with the intention of committing a criminal offence. Usually that offence is theft, robbery or murde ...

, and home invasion robbery with a firearm, charges which carried a maximum of life in prison. In May 2008, a fifth suspect, 16-year-old Timothy Brown, was charged with first-degree murder and burglary. All the murder charges were subsequently increased to first-degree murder. The death penalty, however, was not sought because the gunman, Rivera, was 17 years old.

Remembrance

The

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

recognized the death of Taylor by placing a No. 21 decal on the back of all NFL players' helmets during all Week 13 games; additionally, a moment of silence was held before each game that week. Players on other teams were given the option to continue wearing the decals in subsequent weeks. Taylor was posthumously voted starting free safety for the NFC team for the 2008 Pro Bowl and voted a second team All-Pro. The Redskins had the number 21 painted on the field, at a parking lot entrance and in the Redskins Ring of Fame, all three of which became temporary memorials. In addition to the black No. 21 sticker on the back of every NFL helmet, the Redskins also wore the number as a patch on player uniforms, warmup shirts and coaching staff jackets, as well as unveiling a banner bearing his name and number. His locker at

Redskins Park The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) ...

was encased in

Plexiglas Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) belongs to a group of materials called engineering plastics. It is a transparent thermoplastic. PMMA is also known as acrylic, acrylic glass, as well as by the trade names and brands Crylux, Plexiglas, Acryli ...

and left the same way Taylor had left it. The organization also established a trust fund for Taylor's daughter, Jackie. The first Redskins game after Taylor's death was on December 2, 2007, which was against the

and held at FedExField. The game began with the Redskins defense playing with 10 men on the field instead of the usual 11. Players signaled to the sky, holding up the numbers two and one, on numerous occasions. The team requested that fans arrive 25 minutes before the start of the game at 12:40pm and played a four-minute remembrance video, held a moment of silence and gave attendees commemorative towels with Taylor's number on them in his honor and memory. Teammates Chris Cooley,

and

all wore jerseys with No. 21 during the 2008 Pro Bowl. The three jerseys were auctioned off and the proceeds donated to the Sean Taylor Memorial Trust Fund. The murder was covered on the

Investigation Discovery Investigation Discovery (stylized and branded on-air as ID since 2008) is an American multinational pay television network dedicated to true crime documentaries owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. As of February 2015, approximately 86 million Amer ...

show ''The Perfect Murder''. His jersey number was retired by the team in October 2021; he was the third player in the team's history to have that honor. The ceremony also included naming of a road to the stadium in his honor.

Trial

On May 12, 2008, it was announced the suspects, if convicted, would not face the death penalty, but may be subjected to life imprisonment because the suspected gunman, Eric Rivera, was only 17 at the time of the shooting. On May 15, 2008, Venjah Hunte, one of the five suspects in Taylor's murder, accepted a plea deal and was sentenced to 29 years in prison. On April 1, 2009, Hunte petitioned the court to withdraw his guilty plea. Although originally scheduled for April 7, 2008, the trial of the men charged with Sean Taylor's murder was postponed to June 2009. It was postponed by petition of the defense, saying that there were still hundreds of potential witnesses who needed to be interviewed before the trial could proceed. The trial was then delayed for a third time on June 9, 2009, for unspecified reasons. A new trial date was set for January 18, 2010, and was postponed again with a trial date of March 14, 2011. After another delay, the trial was set to begin on January 30, 2012. On January 20, 2012, a judge set a trial date of April 16 for Eric Rivera, Jr., the alleged gunman in the case. However, Rivera fired his lawyer on March 16, eventually causing delays. On July 12, the judge postponed the trial to November 5, but that date was further moved back to April 5, 2013, due to a scheduling conflict with the chief prosecutor. On April 2, 2013, the trial was again postponed to August 12 of that year. Also in August, the trial was postponed to September 16 and later rescheduled to October 15. During his trial, Rivera testified that someone else fired the gun. On November 4, a jury found Eric Rivera, Jr. guilty of second-degree murder and armed burglary, which could carry a life imprisonment sentence. On January 23, 2014, Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Dennis Murphy sentenced Rivera to 57 years in prison. On June 10, Jason Scott Mitchell was convicted in Taylor's murder and sentenced to

life imprisonment Life imprisonment is any sentence (law), sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed te ...

. On April 1, 2015, Charles Wardlow, the fourth person charged with the death of Taylor, was sentenced to 30 years in prison. A week later, the final defendant, Timmy Lee Brown, was sentenced to 18 years in prison under his plea agreement.

Legacy

Taylor was inducted posthumously as the 43rd member into the

Washington Redskins Ring of Fame Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

on November 30, 2008. Multiple players have honored Taylor by donning his jersey numbers that he wore during his college and professional career. During his college career Taylor wore No. 26 for the Miami Hurricanes. As a rookie in 2004, he wore No. 36 before switching to No. 21 for the remainder of his career. Taylor's former teammate and fellow safety Ryan Clark returned to the Washington Redskins in 2014 after an eight-year stint with the

. During practices, Clark wore No. 21 in Taylor's honor. The Washington Redskins' second round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft,

Su'a Cravens Su'a Kristopher Cravens (born July 7, 1995) is a former American football strong safety. He played college football at USC, and was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Cravens played the linebacker pos ...

, chose No. 36 upon joining the Redskins as a rookie in dedication to Taylor. Cravens switched to No. 39 in 2017 after safety D. J. Swearinger requested No. 36 after signing with the Redskins as a free agent. Swearinger wore No. 36 throughout four teams in his professional career as a way to honor Taylor. On April 4, 2018, the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisio ...

announced safety Landon Collins would switch from No. 27 to No. 21 to honor Taylor. Collins also wore Taylor's college number (No. 26) during his collegiate career at Alabama as a way to pay tribute. In September 2020 one of the roads leading to FedExField was renamed Sean Taylor Road in Taylor's memory. On October 17, 2021, the Washington franchise retired Sean Taylor's number 21 before a game against the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The t ...

with his family in attendance. On November 27, 2022, the Washington Commanders unveiled a statue-like display honoring Sean Taylor at FedEx Field. The unveiling was followed by criticism of the design and lack of a physical statue.

References

External links

*
Sean Taylor memorial at ''Sports Encyclopedia''

* ttps://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/02/AR.html "Fourth Taylor Suspect Appears in Court, Denied Bond," ''The Washington Post'', December 2, 2007
Sean Taylor video tribute at Yahoo

Sean Taylor
at

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Sean 1983 births 2007 deaths All-American college football players American football safeties Deaths by firearm in Florida Male murder victims Miami Hurricanes football players Murdered African-American people National Conference Pro Bowl players National Football League players with retired numbers People from Homestead, Florida People from Palmetto Bay, Florida People murdered in Florida Players of American football from Miami Gulliver Preparatory School alumni Washington Redskins players Former Seventh-day Adventists