Sean Taylor died last night.

[batonrougesooner]

What a horrible tragedy. Senseless.

Prayers to his family.

[Desert Sapper]

That's very sad. He was a prolific safety in college and the pros. I heard last night that he was responding to the doctors when they said to squeeze the hand. Struck down in the prime of his life. Prayers to his family as they work through this tragedy.

[Newbomb Turk]

heard the initial story yesterday, and was shocked when I heard that he passed this AM.

[SOONERxWife73]

So sad. Pray for his family. It is a sad reality of the world we live in when you can not be safe in the sanctity and security of your own home. Tragic.

[Boomer.....]

:(

[stoops the eternal pimp]

Sounds like he was trying to get himself straightened out too...thats awful

[birddog]

can someone explain what happened please?

sad news.

[stoops the eternal pimp]

possible burglary. Was shot in the upper leg in a main artery in his house.

[colleyvillesooner]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3129406


MIAMI -- Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor died early Tuesday, a day after he was shot at home by what police say was an intruder. He was 24.

Family friend Richard Sharpstein said Taylor's father told him the news around 5:30 a.m.

"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 Taylor died early Tuesday at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, where he had been airlifted after the shooting early Monday.

Doctors had been encouraged late Monday when Taylor squeezed a nurse's hand, according to Vinny Cerrato, the Redskins' vice president of football operations. 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.

Taylor was shot early Monday in the upper leg, damaging an artery and causing significant blood loss.

"According to a preliminary investigation, it appears that the victim was shot inside the home by an intruder," Miami-Dade County police said in a statement.

But police were still 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.

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, but neither she nor Taylor's girlfriend were injured.

Police found signs of forced entry, but have not determined if they were caused Monday, or the previous burglary.

The shooting happened in the pale yellow house he bought two years ago in the Miami suburb of Palmetto Bay. Eight days before the attack 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 Detective Mario Rachid said, "to see if there's any correlation."

Born April 1, 1983, Taylor starred as a running back and defensive back at Gulliver Preparatory School in Miami. His father, Pedro Taylor, is police chief of Florida City.

A private man with a small inner circle, Taylor rarely granted interviews. But, behind the scenes, Taylor was described as personable and smart -- an emerging locker room leader.

Especially since the birth of his daughter.

"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 as the fifth overall selection in 2004. Coach Joe Gibbs called it "one of the most researched things" he'd 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 also was 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'd 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.

"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."

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press

[Desert Sapper]

Prayers for his daughter, Jackie. She's not old enough that she'll remember this, but she'll live with it.

[colleyvillesooner]

sad deal. Sounds more like this was someone out to get him. Prayers for his family and teammates.

[stoops the eternal pimp]

sad deal. Sounds more like this was someone out to get him. Prayers for his family and teammates.


That what I was thinking..Its gonna be interesting to see what the investigations discover

[jackal42601]

My Prayers are with him and his family.

[Ground_Attack]

just awful. rest in peace Sean

[85sooners]

rip

[soonerinabilene]

sad deal. Sounds more like this was someone out to get him. Prayers for his family and teammates.

Thats what I was thinking also. From initial reports, nothing was stolen from the house. The girlfriend said they woke up hearing a noise, Sean grabbed the machete he kept for protection, and was about to go look when the bedroom door crashed in and shots were fired. Sounds like a straight up murder. Horrible tragedy. Prayers are with his family.

[yermom]

who shoots a guy in the leg though?

that whole story is just weird.

very sad, but weird.

[Desert Sapper]

who shoots a guy in the leg though?

that whole story is just weird.

very sad, but weird.

Probably an armed burglar shooting at (not really aiming at) a big angry guy with a machete. If only Sean had planted the machete in the guy's head before he got the second shot off. Sometimes life just isn't fair.

[stoopified]

Prayers sent

[sooner59]

ESPN said this comes 8 days after an intruder was reported at Taylor's home.

[JohnnyMack]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22009119/

3 people being questioned.

[Saueyman]

wow...a 17 year old is being detained..:(

[JohnnyMack]

They have 4 now in custody and under arrest. Looks like a robbery gone bad. Police said robbery was motive and that Sean Taylor wasn't being targeted. They broke in, Sean Taylor confronted them and was shot.

Sounds like at least one of them will get the needle for this. We'll see how long it takes his buddies to roll over on the shooter when they realize they could get a State sponsored dirt nap.

[Octavian]

Venjah K. Hunte, 20;
Eric Rivera Jr., 17;
Jason Scott Mitchell, 17;
Charles Kendrick Lee Wardlow, 18.


idiots

[tulsaoilerfan]

That's a damn shame

[SoFla Sooner]

Whole thing has just made me sick. One of my favorite players, college and pro, of all time. Totally senseless.

[JiuJitsuSooner]

RIP

[Saueyman]

Sportscenter just said that the burglars did not expect Sean to be in his home...doesn't sound to me like they didn't intend on shooting him. Perhaps they freaked when he confronted them??

[colleyvillesooner]

I would freak if I broke in somewhere and a dude came at me with a machete...

[Scott D]

I would freak if I broke in somewhere and a dude came at me with a machete...

especially if I'm under the premise that said dude isn't going to be home in the first place.