JansenFan wrote:Most of the time, when you hear Sean Taylor's name, you hear about the monster hits, the spitting incident or ATV's. Very rarely do you hear anything positive and personal about the 'skins safety. I was lucky enough to witness a very different side of ST yesterday, and I want to recount it here.
First, I'll need to start with a little background information. My son, Jackson, is a soon-to-be-six year old that has gained a bit of a reputation as a kid with an uncanny knowledge of Redskins personnel. After his second training camp, just prior to turning two, we bought him a 'Skins' yearbook and he would pick pages and ask who the players were. We would, of course, tell him who each player was. Soon, he could name every - and I mean EVERY - player listed inside that guide.
He could pick out Laveranues Coles on commercials without his uniform. His favorite player was Gibran Hamdan. Heck, the following year, NikiH took him through the lines of Fan Appreciation day and came back with a signature I couldn't read. NikiH didn't know who had signed it, only that it was the last guy at the table. Jackson says, "Oh. That was Bill Ferrario!" Anyone here beside Jake that could pick Bill Ferrario out of a line-up?
Now that that's out of the way, I'll get to Sean Taylor. I was taking Jackson around the VIP section getting autographs from some of his favorite players. We tried to get Fred Smoot, without any luck and I spied Sean Taylor. Jackson walks up with his book open, sees the 21 jersey and has a freudian slip. He says, "Excuse me Mr. Smoot. Will you please sign my yearbook?"
I lean down to correct him, but before I can, Taylor says, "I'd be happy to sign your book. What's your name?"
My son replies, "Jackson."
Taylor says, "Well, it's nice to meet you Jackson. My name is Sean and I'm very pleased to meet you. "
He signs the book, and Jackson says, "Thank you!" , to which Taylor replies, "Thank you for coming out to practice today."
I was thoroughly impressed with the way Taylor handled the situation. Many players don't interact with the people they are signing for. They step, sign, step, sign. Sean Taylor proved what I've come to realize in my dealings with Brandon Lloyd. Don't believe everything you read. These guys are human, too.
I know one, very happy 5 year old who agrees.
Add this...
SkinsFreak wrote:Sorry, I'm a bit late with this thread, but I just have to comment.
Very nice story, JF. I have children of my own and as a parent, it's wonderful to witness kindness by others to the ones we love so much. Thanks for sharing this story. Jackson sounds like a neat kid and I wish him all the best.
With regard to Sean Taylor, I'm not surprised by this at all. As some of you may know by now, I currently live in South Florida. I am a Terp all the way, but living down here, I enjoy following the Hurricanes, as they always field great teams and are great recruiters down here. I'd also like to add that high school and college football are HUGE in this state. You could argue that high school and college football are more popular than pro football here.
That said, Sean Taylor is extremely popular here and has been since his high school days. Not because of his pro status, not because of his success at the U, but more so for his character and the things he has done in the community. I know that may seem strange to some, as most around the country don't know him like we do here in Florida.
The incident over the ATV's was unfortunate and I'm sure Sean regrets that. But when that happened, many prominent members of the community and specifically, neighbor's of Sean's, came forward in the local media in defense of Sean. Several of Sean's elderly neighbors came forward with stories of how Sean had come to them, unsolicited, to offer a helping hand and merely to inquire if there was anything they needed or he could do for them. They said Sean was kind, caring and well liked in his neighborhood. They spoke of how Sean, with his celebrity status, could have avoided these situations, not been so forthcoming, and nobody would have thought poorly or any different about him.
It's extremely unfortunate that the media, on a national level, did not roll with this side of the story. They labeled Sean as a thug, a South Beach partier, and in my opinion, did everything they could to drag Sean's name and character through the mud. Additionally, many of us here in South Florida were familiar with Mike Grieco, the asst. DA who was attempting to prosecute Sean. He was notorious here for going after celebrities, hanging out a South Beach and trying to become a celebrity himself. That guy is a piece of dirt in my opinion and I'm glad he was ultimately fired over this.
Sean is still extremely popular here and I can't blame him one bit for avoiding the media. As I'm not surprised by this story, I am however, happy to see that someone else has recognized the genuine and caring character Sean possesses. I'm not declaring Sean to be an angel, but he is quite far from the thug reputation the media has portrayed.
My father always said that you can get a good handle on someones character by the way they are on a golf course, and the way they are around children and elderly folks. So to hear the way Sean was with Jackson is great and speaks volumes, in my opinion, to what kind of person Sean Taylor really is.
Chris Luva Luva wrote:Out of surgery and stabilized according to lunch with skins! I'll let you know as soon as they confirm.
Bram got an email or something and it's weird how bootleg their show is. They were playing the Portis interview and it cut out to them talking and I heard what I posted above.
He's out of surgery and somewhat stable. But this is just a source. Nothing too solid.
"He's in critical condition and has somewhat stabilized after surgery, but things could go either way at this point," the source said. "He's lost an incredible amount of blood. At this point, we're just waiting to see how he responds to the surgery."
"He's in critical condition and has somewhat stabilized after surgery, but things could go either way at this point," the source said. "He's lost an incredible amount of blood. At this point, we're just waiting to see how he responds to the surgery."
"He's in critical condition and has somewhat stabilized after surgery, but things could go either way at this point," the source said. "He's lost an incredible amount of blood. At this point, we're just waiting to see how he responds to the surgery."
"He's in critical condition and has somewhat stabilized after surgery, but things could go either way at this point," the source said. "He's lost an incredible amount of blood. At this point, we're just waiting to see how he responds to the surgery."
"He's in critical condition and has somewhat stabilized after surgery, but things could go either way at this point," the source said. "He's lost an incredible amount of blood. At this point, we're just waiting to see how he responds to the surgery."
Dan Snyder Statement
Redskins owner Daniel Snyder has entered the media room to read a statement.
"On behalf of the Redskins, the players and everyone here at the Redskins, our hearts and prayers go out to Sean and his family. Myself and a group of Redskins are on our way to Miami. I really don't have any details other than what everyone else has been reading and reporting ...Our hearts and prayers are with Sean and his family."
He did not take questions from the media. Tailback Clinton Portis, Snyder, VP of football operations Vinny Cerrato, and director of sports medicine Bubba Tyer are flying to Miami on Snyder's plane. They left Redskins Park immediately after the remarks.
Voltaire (1694-1778) "This is no time to make new enemies." (When asked on his deathbed to foreswear Satan.)
He did not take questions from the media. Tailback Clinton Portis, Snyder, VP of football operations Vinny Cerrato, and director of sports medicine Bubba Tyer are flying to Miami on Snyder's plane. They left Redskins Park immediately after the remarks.
Cooley said that the latest he heard on the situation was that Sean endured 6 hours of surgery today and is in a coma. He said that Santana Moss's mother is at the hospital and gave the team an update from there.
"It's a tough thing right now," Chris said. "I feel for so sorry for Sean and his family."
According to family and friends, Taylor was at home with his girlfriend and their young daughter when he heard a noise in the back of his house. He went to investigate and was supposedly shot in the groin, in an area where a lot of arteries are. The gunshot by the alleged robber has caused him to lose a lot of blood.
"From what I've heard from his family and I'm in constant contact with them from the hospital, he was shot in area where it is very difficult to operate," a Gulliver assistant football coach told me. "They think he's going to make it, but there's a fear his career is over. It's such a sad day around here. We're waiting by the phone to hear what's going on."
UPDATE (1:15 p.m.): That's what I got at 12:30 this afternoon. This was the latest update from the same assistant. "He's had surgery and he's out of it now. I'm not sure if he's going to have other procedure. But from what I hear he may not be able to play again. They think his career is over. He lost too much blood and apparently it affected his brain some. It just doesn't sound good and its going to be a long road back to recovery."
"From what I've heard from his family and I'm in constant contact with them from the hospital, he was shot in area where it is very difficult to operate," a Gulliver assistant football coach told me. "They think he's going to make it, but there's a fear his career is over. It's such a sad day around here. We're waiting by the phone to hear what's going on."
UPDATE (1:15 p.m.): That's what I got at 12:30 this afternoon. This was the latest update from the same assistant. "He's had surgery and he's out of it now. I'm not sure if he's going to have other procedure. But from what I hear he may not be able to play again. They think his career is over. He lost too much blood and apparently it affected his brain some. It just doesn't sound good and its going to be a long road back to recovery."
This is Desmond Bailey, I write for wildbillschiefs.com, your F2FA affiliate for the KC Chiefs. I'd just like to offer my prayers and well wishes for Sean, his family, and the Redskins organization. This is certainly sad news but I have faith that he'll pull through.
This is Desmond Bailey, I write for wildbillschiefs.com, your F2FA affiliate for the KC Chiefs. I'd just like to offer my prayers and well wishes for Sean, his family, and the Redskins organization. This is certainly sad news but I have faith that he'll pull through.
The sentiment is sincerely appreciated man and I'd like to echo the positive thoughts.
I almost cried
I know he'll live but im doubting he'll play and our defense will just be sad i hope not but we need him and we need him healthy and stronger and i have faith and h opes everything goes well
I almost cried I know he'll live but im doubting he'll play and our defense will just be sad i hope not but we need him and we need him healthy and stronger and i have faith and h opes everything goes well
At this point, our defensive troubles are really inconsequential when you are talking about someone’s life. I would be happy if he made a full recovery but never played another down of football.
Bruce has the authority. When Bruce makes the decision, it's a Redskins decision.
This is just crazy fellow fans. I almost punched an eagle fan here at work in the mouth for saying it's because Taylor's past is shady. That had/has nothing to do with the guy's life being on the line. Ugh.
I hope the guy pulls through and he once again plays for the burgandy and gold... not for selfish reasons but for the fact that I hope he recovers 100% from this miserable circumstance and he can resume a normal life with his family and friends.
May #21 never be worn again by another Redskin but may every Redskin play like they are wearing #21 on their backs.
At this point, our defensive troubles are really inconsequential when you are talking about someone’s life. I would be happy if he made a full recovery but never played another down of football.
Me, too. Football looks mighty small when compared to life.
UK Skins Fan wrote:At this time, I'd like to be the kind of person who can put words to the thoughts in my head, and the pain in my heart.
Can't do it. Don't have the words. Tough even to type.
To hell with football. Get well Sean.
You aren't alone amigo
Veteran receiver Keenan McCardell tried to sum up what the entire organization is experiencing right now.
"Everybody around here is just stunned," McCardell said. "We're all stunned. We're numb right now. I can probably speak for everybody, we're just numb. We don't know what to do."
ey heard form Moss' mom who's in the hospital that he's in a coma... Dan Snyder, CP, Vinny, others are otw to FL after Dan's brief words...
