West Coast Connection Forum
Lifestyle => Sports & Entertainment => Topic started by: Elano on November 27, 2007, 05:13:17 AM
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(http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2007-11/33975412.jpg)
MIAMI -- Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor has died, a day after he was shot at home, said family friend Richard Sharpstein.
He said Taylor's father called him around 5:30 a.m. to tell him the news.
"His father called and said he was with Christ and he cried and thanked me," said Sharpstein, Taylor's former lawyer. "It's a tremendously sad and unnecessary event. He was a wonderful, humble, talented young man, and had a huge life in front of him. Obviously God had other plans."
He said he did not know exactly when Taylor died.
Doctors had been encouraged late Monday night when Taylor squeezed a nurse's hand. But Sharpstein said he was told Taylor never regained consciousness after being transported to the hospital and that he wasn't sure how he had squeezed the nurse's hand.
"Maybe he was trying to say goodbye or something," Sharpstein said.
The 24-year-old Redskins safety was shot early Monday in the upper leg, damaging an artery and causing significant blood loss.
Miami-Dade Police were investigating the attack, which came just eight days after an intruder was reported at Taylor's home. Officers were dispatched about 1:45 a.m. Monday after Taylor's girlfriend called 911. Taylor was airlifted to the hospital.
Sharpstein said Taylor's girlfriend told him the couple was awakened by loud noises, and Taylor grabbed a machete he keeps in the bedroom for protection. Someone then broke through the bedroom door and fired two shots, one missing and one hitting Taylor, Sharpstein said. Taylor's 1-year-old daughter, Jackie, was also in the house at the time, but neither she nor Taylor's girlfriend were injured.
"It could have been a possible burglary; it could have been a possible robbery," Miami-Dade Police Lt. Nancy Perez said. "It has not been confirmed as yet."
Taylor was shot at the pale yellow house he bought two years ago in the Miami suburb of Palmetto Bay. It came about a week after someone pried open a front window, rifled through drawers and left a kitchen knife on a bed at Taylor's home, according to police.
"They're really sifting through that incident and today's incident," Miami-Dade Police Detective Mario Rachid said, "to see if there's any correlation."
Taylor starred as a running back and defensive back at Gulliver Preparatory School in Miami. His father, Pedro Taylor, is the police chief of Florida City, Fla.
Teammates and coaches often have portrayed Taylor as misunderstood, and that much was true. A private man with a small inner circle, Taylor became distrustful of reporters and anyone else he didn't know well. He rarely granted interviews, sometimes declining with a smile and a handshake and sometimes with a snarl that said: "Get out of my way."
But, behind the scenes, Taylor was described as personable and smart -- an emerging locker room leader.
Especially since the birth of his daughter Jackie.
"From the first day I met him, from then to now, it's just like night and day," Redskins receiver James Thrash said. "He's really got his head on his shoulders and has been doing really well as far as just being a man. It's been awesome to see that growth."
An All-American at the University of Miami, Taylor was drafted by the Redskins with the fifth overall selection in 2004. Coach Joe Gibbs called it "one of the most researched things" he's ever done, but the problems soon began. Taylor fired his agent, then skipped part of the NFL's mandatory rookie symposium, drawing a $25,000 fine. Driving home late from a party during the season, he was pulled over and charged with drunken driving. The case was dismissed in court, but by then it had become a months-long distraction for the team.
Taylor was also fined at least seven times for late hits, uniform violations and other infractions over his first three seasons, including a $17,000 penalty for spitting in the face of Tampa Bay running back Michael Pittman during a playoff game in January 2006.
Meanwhile, Taylor endured a yearlong legal battle after he was accused in 2005 of brandishing a gun at a man during a fight over allegedly stolen all-terrain vehicles near Taylor's home. He eventually pleaded no contest to two misdemeanors and was sentenced to 18 months' probation.
Taylor said the end of the assault case was like "a gray cloud" being lifted. It was also around the time that Jackie was born, and teammates noticed a change.
"It's hard to expect a man to grow up overnight," said Redskins teammate and close friend Clinton Portis, who also played with Taylor at the University of Miami. "But ever since he had his child, it was like a new Sean, and everybody around here knew it. He was always smiling, always happy, always talking about his child."
On the field, Taylor's play was often erratic. Assistant coach Gregg Williams frequently called Taylor the best athlete he's ever coached, but nearly every big play was mitigated by a blown assignment. Taylor led the NFL in missed tackles in 2006 yet made the Pro Bowl because of his reputation as one of the hardest hitters in the league.
This year, however, Taylor was allowed to play a true free safety position, using his speed and power to chase down passes and crush would-be receivers. His five interceptions tie for the league lead in the NFC, even though he missed the last two games because of a sprained knee. Teammates said he had overhauled his diet this year to include more fruit, fish and vegetables and less red meat.
"I just take this job very seriously," Taylor said in a rare group interview during training camp. "It's almost like, you 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.'
"So I just say, 'I'm healthy right now, I'm going into my fourth year, and why not do the best that I can?' And that's whatever it is, whether it's eating right or training myself right, whether it's studying harder, whatever I can do to better myself."
His hard work was well-noted.
"He loved football. He felt like that's what he was made to do," Gibbs said. "And I think what I've noticed over the last year and a half ... is he matured. I think his baby had a huge impact on him. There was a real growing up in his life."
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RIP
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rip
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veryvery sad, my thought go out with familly anfd friends.
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fucked up :-\
only shot in the leg, very unlucky man :'(
and they thought he was gon escape with maybe a lil brain damage at the worse
hope they catch the fucker for real
R.I.P 2 a great safety, but most importantly a young man & young father :'(
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R.I.P. He will be missed. :(
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fuck. :-\
rip.
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fucked up :-\
only shot in the leg, very unlucky man :'(
???
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fucked up :-\
only shot in the leg, very unlucky man :'(
???
come on
most ppl that is shot in the leg ain't gon die
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R.I.P.
Attacking a man at his own home especially with his fiancee and child in bed is some bitch shit.... May the powers that be repay their actions.
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RIP
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I hope he's scaring wide receivers in heaven
(http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/5384/taylorboogeyman7mnwc2.gif)
RIP You big nasty motherfucker :(
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Damn RIP :-\
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I hope he's scaring wide receivers in heaven
(http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/5384/taylorboogeyman7mnwc2.gif)
RIP You big nasty motherfucker :(
LOL DAMN
dude got scared :laugh:
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Damn, thats sad. RIP.
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I hope he's scaring wide receivers in heaven
(http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/5384/taylorboogeyman7mnwc2.gif)
RIP You big nasty motherfucker :(
That's the way to do it! hell yes!
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RIP
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RIP a great man and safety you will be missed. i was watchin nfl live and coach gibbs was saying what a great father and man of the church he was
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... sucks to hear shit like this
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Tragic...RIP.
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R.I.P.
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RIP :-\
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... sucks to hear shit like this
Yes it does. And I always hated the Skins. I hated them the most in 1982-88 but never so much that I wanted any of their players 2 die in a jacked up way. I'm just glad that Taylor got the message 2 get his act together. In changing his ways. Too bad he didn't change his living address, especially after hearing that he had enemies & was frightened living in Miami. If you ever had enuff money 2 get out of the dangerous hood, you GTFO of the hood ASAP.
Another young child growing up without a father. So played out :grumpy:
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So Sad.
RIP
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Cops detain three for questioning in NFL player's death (http://www.dailynews.com/ci_7601606?source=rss)
By Jessica Gresko, Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 11/30/2007 11:57:21 AM PST
MIAMI - Police have detained at least three people in the Fort Myers area for questioning in the death of Washington Redskins star Sean Taylor.
A law enforcement official in Lee County confirmed the men from the Fort Myers area were in custody, but requested anonymity because the investigation is being handled by Miami-Dade County police.
Miami-Dade police would not confirm if anyone was in custody for the shooting death of Taylor, who was attacked at his Miami area home Monday and died a day later. Police only said detectives were in the Fort Myers area for an unspecified case.
"Our detectives are out there in Fort Myers conducting an investigation, gathering information and at this particular time they are not comfortable releasing any information regarding their investigation," police spokesman Robert Williams said. "As soon as information develops that will not jeopardize their case, they will release information."
The Miami Herald, which first reported the development on its Web site, said investigators believe the suspects learned of Taylor's house through someone who unwittingly set up the burglary by bragging about his wealth. The suspects include two teenagers and a man in his 20s, all from the Fort Myers area, the paper reported.
A telephone message left at the Florida City Police Department for the slain safety's father, Chief Pedro Taylor, was not immediately returned.
Richard Sharpstein, a former Taylor
lawyer and family friend, confirmed the law enforcement report.
"It's my understanding that three individuals are in custody. A house is being searched," Sharpstein said, without disclosing who had given him the information.
He repeated previous statements that the burglary did not appear to be random and that the 24-year-old's house had been targeted.
Taylor's teammates and friends were measured in responding to this latest development.
"I can't get excited or get my hopes up hoping these are the guys until we know for sure," said running back Clinton Portis. "Everybody wants to know why. It's still not gonna bring back Sean. It will still take a great guy away from the world."
Said receiver Santana Moss: "If those are the guys, I just hope that they'll just be dealt with properly. I feel there's nothing much I can say about it. It's no anger I can express to them. What's done is done."
Evidence at Taylor's home indicated one or more intruders barged into the house early Monday in an attempted burglary, Miami-Dade police director Robert Parker said Wednesday.
Taylor and longtime girlfriend, Jackie Garcia, were awakened by loud noises at Taylor's home in an affluent Miami suburb, Sharpstein has said. Taylor grabbed a machete he keeps in the bedroom for protection, Sharpstein said, then someone broke through the bedroom door and fired two shots, one missing and one hitting Taylor in the upper leg. Neither the couple's 18-month-old daughter, also named Jackie, nor Garcia were injured in the attack.
The bullet damaged the femoral artery in Taylor's leg, causing significant blood loss. Taylor never regained consciousness and died a little more than 24 hours later.
A public viewing for Taylor is scheduled Sunday in Miami, and the entire Redskins organization plans to fly to Florida to attend Monday's funeral at Pharmed Arena at Florida International University.
Associated Press Writer Brian Skoloff in West Palm Beach and AP Sports Writer Joseph White in Ashburn, Va., contributed to this report.
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^good
hope they have the right fuckers :-X
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i was over in the states when this happened and followed it quiet closely.. RIP