The Sean Taylor death media reaction from two prominent sports voices has been disgusting – Taylor was shot in his home early Monday morning while protecting his girlfriend and their young daughter. He died Tuesday. He was 24 years old.
Before the facts were known, before the family could even process the horror, Michael Wilbon and Colin Cowherd decided to turn the tragedy into a referendum on Taylor’s past.
Wilbon
Wilbon, in a Washington Post online chat on November 26 while Taylor still clung to life, said the news was “not surprising in the least.” He added that Taylor “grew up in a violent world, embraced it, claimed it, loved to run in it and refused to divorce himself from it.” In his column two days later, Wilbon doubled down: “I wasn’t surprised in the least… Angry? Yes. Surprised? Not even a little.”
Cowherd
Cowherd went further on ESPN Radio. He listed Taylor’s past issues and asked, “I’m supposed to believe his judgment got significantly better in two years, from horrible to fantastic?” Then came the line that will age like spoiled milk: “Just because you clean the rug doesn’t mean you got everything out. Sometimes you’ve got stains, stuff so deep it never ever leaves… And if you have bad judgment for 23 years of your life, even if you clean it up, your judgment doesn’t get great overnight.”
These were not careful observations. They were cheap, attention-seeking attempts to sound tough and worldly while a young man lay dying or had just died. They framed Taylor’s murder as the predictable result of a “thug life” he supposedly never left behind.
Unjust
We already know better. Taylor had matured. Teammates and coaches spoke of a changed man, a devoted father who had largely put his earlier mistakes behind him.
Besides, what previous actions could possibly justify or even explain away, being murdered in your own home?
The early evidence points to a home invasion, not some street score being settled. Yet Wilbon and Cowherd could not wait for facts. They reached for the easy narrative instead.
There is a difference between acknowledging a complicated past and suggesting a murdered man somehow had it coming. Wilbon and Cowherd chose the latter.
They did it while the wound was still open. That is not journalism. It is not insightful either. That is two people looking for the spotlight in the middle of a family’s worst nightmare.
Despicable
Sean Taylor did not deserve to die.
He did not deserve to have his character assassinated by virtue of the fact that he was an elite athlete. And by men who should have known better.
The Sean Taylor death / media reaction from Wilbon and Cowherd stands out as one of the more shameful episodes in recent sports media history.
Don’t forget what these two men said. In twenty years, people should still look back on this whole charade as a blight on sports journalism. And on Wilbon and Cowherd as being cowards.
Sometimes being humane is far more important than being “relevant”.
Rest in peace Sean.
Notes:
At Sean’s funeral, family friend Otis Wallace addressed the words and actions of the two cowards:
I hope the media has received a small lesson in grace and humility. For those who recklessly reported that Sean Taylor’s death was caused by the way he lived, all I have to say is, ‘You should be ashamed of yourselves.’
Wallace received a rousing, standing ovation.