Why Is Taylor's Death So Troubling To Us?

[AnonEmouse]

Originally Posted by atomicnixon

I don't know why Sean Taylor's death has had such a profound effect on me. I am only a senior in high school, but all day long its been like I just wanna cry. Cry for Taylor, his family, the Redskins, and the NFL. Its been a really crappy day.

You pretty much summed it up for me. Over here we don't get much NFL news outside of nfl.com and Sky Sports. What really shocked me was popping onto the BBC new page to catch up on the days events at about 10:30AM and seeing the announcement there. He'd seemed to be improving when I went to bed last night (about 7PM your time) and then I read the news. I just sat there at my desk for about 10 minutes not knowing how to feel.

I haven't posted in here for a while, mainly because I've been busy and it's easier to go into alt.redskins and have a quick browse of the posts and get on again. But what really saddened me was dropping in there this evening and seeing inane drivel posted by morons purporting themselves to be football fans. I came back here for a bit of sanity and true reflection. In a curious kind of way I'm glad I'm not the only one feeling this way.

It's not just a loss to the Redskins, the NFL or the fans - it's a loss to a family, a loved one and a child that will never know her father as a dad, but more as a dead football player.

[SmootSmack]

I don't think we'd mourn the same way if this had happened to say Asante Samuel or even Reed Doughty. It's not a bad thing, it's just the way it is. Sean Taylor was a Redskin (part of our favorite team). Not only that, but he was a uniquely gifted athlete who we are blessed to have seen play albeit for only a brief period of time. Speaking specifically about Taylor the player, guys like him come along once every decade or so in any sport.

But then at the same time, it just reaffirms the mortality of all of us, no matter how skilled you are at anything. And the suddenness (is that a word?) of it all. And it's scary.

[sportscurmudgeon]

I probably had more negative things to say about Sean Taylor over the past four years than 99% of the folks on this board and the reason this is such a tragedy for me is the way in which he died.

It wasn't from a disease or some terrible accident. It was a homicide. Some other person(s) killed him. And that makes it doubly hard to deal with.

There is the loss of a player on an NFL football team who was becoming an icon to the fans of that team.

And there are the questions about why all of this happened because it wasn't a freak accident or a terrible disease. Who did it? Why? Could the teragedy have been averted by mediation? by intervention? by whatever?

When you add all those questions - none of which are answerable at the moment - to the tragic loss, that is why this loss is so troubling.

[FRPLG]

Originally Posted by firstdown

Not sure if I could answer that question and its one I do not want to find out the answer. People will say its not about football but ST brought so much excitment to the game everytime he stepped onto the field that cannot be replaced. I know that I only know ST as a football player and now I'll never have the chance to see him play again and I will greatly miss that.

I think I am with you. I did not know him personally but only as a football player. I know of the things people say about him and can respect what others thought of him. But my opinion of him is mainly shaped by football and to me he wasn't just a good or great player but he always struck me as one of those guys who could transcend the game. A once in a lifetime type talent. So while the real tragedy here is that a father/son/brother was murderd...for us as fans our hero was killed. He wasn't our friend but he was someone we loved for football and all the plays he could have made all game changing athleticism that he could have exhibited we'll never get to see. And that just destroys me. Part of it is selfish but part of it is also that I know football was what he supposed to do. Not only was his life cut short but his purpose was cut short. And that is a damn shame. He had so much left to give to everyone. I am just so saddened by that.

[12thMan]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

I don't think we'd mourn the same way if this had happened to say Asante Samuel or even Reed Doughty. It's not a bad thing, it's just the way it is. Sean Taylor was a Redskin (part of our favorite team). Not only that, but he was a uniquely gifted athlete who we are blessed to have seen play albeit for only a brief period of time. Speaking specifically about Taylor the player, guys like him come along once every decade or so in any sport.

But then at the same time, it just reaffirms the mortality of all of us, no matter how skilled you are at anything. And the suddenness (is that a word?) of it all. And it's scary.

To be honest, that's one of things I'm sort of struggling with today. I wonder if I would mourn more or less, lose sleep over this, had it been another player. Say, somone not as note worthy?

Is that wrong, guys? Am I being shallow? Am I a bad person for thinking this of feeling this way?

[FRPLG]

I think when we look at it most of us probably share the same amount grief when ANYONE dies as it applies to family. I feel for any son/daughter/brother/sister/mother/father when their loved one dies. In this case we get the added grief of him being a Redskin. And on top of that he was just so damn awesome. He represented greatness. Not just as a football player but someone who had the chance to be the best ever.

[FRPLG]

Originally Posted by 12thMan

To be honest, that's one of things I'm sort of struggling with today. I wonder if I would mourn more or less, lose sleep over this, had it been another player. Say, somone not as note worthy?

Is that wrong, guys? Am I being shallow? Am I a bad person for thinking this of feeling this way?

I have thought about that and I don't know whether to embarassed to say that for me another player probably would not be getting to me this much. The grief would be similiar but the feeling that we've all had something stolen from us would much less. It is undoubtedly selfish and I guess I am embarassed to say that but I think it is true. And I venture to guess a lot of us feel the same way.

[Sheriff Gonna Getcha]

He was the rock of our defense. He was the best player on our team. He was a fan favorite. He was a brother, a son, a friend, a fiance, a teammate, and a hero. He had an 18 month old baby daughter. He was cut down in his prime. He had turned his life around. He had a big heart.

Simply put, he was Sean Taylor.

[BringBackJoeT]

No doubt, as others have already said, the loss of life of any Redskin would be devastating. You root for a team, you develop a special connection to the players, and when something like this happens, you feel awful. But there is also no question that Sean Taylor stood out for Redskin fans, and I think it has a lot to do with the fact that he never wore any other jersey as a pro. The bottom line is that what has stood out more about this franchise over the course of the last decade than anything else is its attempt to bring in so many players who have made their marks on other teams. This list is legion. Before Sean arrived, we saw the likes of Deion Sanders, Bruce Smith, Jeff George, Dana Stubblefield, Mark Carrier, etc., come and go. Since he arrived, we've seen ARE, Andre Carter, Santana Moss, Marcus Washington, Shawn Springs, and even Clinton Portis join the Redskin ranks. But Sean was from the start our own. He was a Redskin draft pick who became a superstar WHILE wearing the burgandy and gold. Who measures up? Lavar? Not quite. Sure, Lavar was a pro-bowler, but he was our best player during some of the franchise's most depressing years. Chris Samuels and Jon Jansen? Now there are two guys who we all probably have some special feelings for, and Cooley as well. But as much as we love them, isn't it true that Sean still stood out? I think it is true. Look, in addition to being a Redskin from the get-go, there is also the sheer football factor. What I mean by that this is the game of football, a truly violent game, and Sean walked around the field with that intense stare, with a level of confidence - and a swagger - that every football fan has to admit loving. I remember seeing on tv Lawrence Taylor saying to the crowd at the Meadowlands the day they retired his jersey that, while Lawrence Taylor could have played football for any NFL team, without the Giant fans there never would have been an L-T. Say what you will about LT, but what he was saying to Giant fans was that there was an inter-connection between the Giant fans love for LT and the degree to which he became a superstar. Giant fans loved Phil Sims and Jim Burt, but LT defined the Giants the way that Giant fans wanted the team defined, and LT thrived on that. I think that holds true for Sean and the Redskins. We were excited about him from the start, and he seemed to feed on that. Witness the many examples people have put up on this site about how he welcomed Redskin fanfare. Yeah, there was that same inter-connection. I definitely believe this has so much to do with why his death is impacting us all so sharply.

[GridIron26]

It's very good question, actually.. I do not know the answer to this question - because almost all of us on this forums either never met him (including myself) or met him for short time.. But I really think that it's because all of us watched him grew up.. When he first came into NFL, he was a "really rookie." Until this year, I am sure we all can say that he is different than before.. And he gave Redskins a brand of toughness..

Just like someone said in earlier posts, when I was in HS and played football.. In my senior year, I told my coach that I wanted to move from CB to safety.. And it's all because of Sean, he made me want to be better player and want to be like him.. Even though my coach decided to move me to safety, I did not really achieve the goal but I played pretty good and better than I did at CB.. So I thank Sean for that..

And I mentioned in another post in another thread, in some ways I understood him.. In some ways, I am like him.. That's probably the mainly reason why it hit me hard..

[Cowell]

Originally Posted by GridIron26

It's very good question, actually.. I do not know the answer to this question - because almost all of us on this forums either never met him (including myself) or met him for short time.. But I really think that it's because all of us watched him grew up.. When he first came into NFL, he was a "really rookie." Until this year, I am sure we all can say that he is different than before.. And he gave Redskins a brand of toughness..

Just like someone said in earlier posts, when I was in HS and played football.. In my senior year, I told my coach that I wanted to move from CB to safety.. And it's all because of Sean, he made me want to be better player and want to be like him.. Even though my coach decided to move me to safety, I did not really achieve the goal but I played pretty good and better than I did at CB.. So I thank Sean for that..

And I mentioned in another post in another thread, in some ways I understood him.. In some ways, I am like him.. That's probably the mainly reason why it hit me hard..

I asked my coach the same thing, to move me from RB to safety, I also changed my jersey # to 21 when the senior that had it before me left. Even before Sean was dead I played every down to the fullest like I thought he would and now that he is, I'm going to try even harder.

[wilsowilso]

If someone had called me and said guess which Redskin player was just shot I would have said Sean Taylor. I just can't stop thinking about that. Who knows if his past has anything to do with this, but he did have a history being around a more violent type of world than most of us are familiar with. I mean you could see it in his eyes. He didn't grow up in a dangerous neighborhood by the way, but he found himself in dangerous neighborhoods quite a bit while he was growing up. I really want to know why someone came after him. What made them so angry. It's probably something completely insignificant and that is making me pretty mad. Mostly it's just a sad tragic thing for his family and friends and for his biggest fans. Us.

[Slingin Sammy 33]

Obviously he was one of the "Core Redskins", but I think the part that bothers me so much is that he was a bright young man who had turned the corner and "figured it out" after the birth of his daughter.

He made a few immature 18-22 year old mistakes (who hasn't), learned from them and was on the road to becoming a Hall of Fame caliber player, but more importantly a great husband and father.

His work ethic was unmatched as well as his enthusiasm for the game. To see a young man, who is doing all the right things, taken in the prime of his life by a low-life piece of vermin is what I believe is troubling us the most.

[12thMan]

I wonder too, if...there was something in Sean Taylor that was in us as well. And when he died a little part of us died, and that's what makes this so personal in a lot of ways.

I don't know.

[skinsfan_nn]

Such a senseless act of violence, over what?

Killing a young man that was just learning how to become a father, good citizen, good teammate, peaking in his career. All the good things you expect to do as you grow up and mature.

All snuffed out for nothing.

I sure hope they get these fools that commited this murder off the street quickly.