The-Hogs.net - Washington Football Discussion, Redskins to Commanders Era

It was very interesting to hear from John Riggins on his show that he basically does not understand why fans are so upset about Sean's death and treating him like a great icon. He went on to basically say that Sean was just a football player and why aren't people that are in harm's way everyday, like Firefighters, Police Officers, and our Soldiers in Iraq grieved over like fans are grieving for Sean.

First off, this is another situation like I said in another post where you will always have someone come out and say something stupid or not the best to say during a time like this. Riggins is entitled to his opinion but as a former Redskin himself, I would have thought the he would show a little more "class" and not question the way fans, many of which cheered for and still adore him, grieve over the lost of Sean.

To question why there is such an out-pour of emotions for the lost of this young man, IMO, is not the best thing to even say. People grieve differently. I will give Galdy or Kevin Sheehan credit yesterday for trying to get Riggins to understand a fan's perspective by saying that if this had happened to him (Riggins) in 1984, they would have been equally as crushed if not more than many of us fans are over Sean.

I respect what John Riggins has bought to this city and organization and I also respect the fact that in this country, we do have the freedom of speech but I am extremely disappointed by the way he went about this yesterday. If John Riggins feels as though people that are actually in harm's way deaths are more important than Sean's, then he has a platform to honor those who die in harm's way. I don't see him reading the names of any fallen Police Officers, Firefighters or Soldiers during or at the end of his show since he thinks that their death's are more important than Sean's.

Your thoughts????

It's interesting that he would be the one to say that since if you think about it there is a lot of parallels between the two on and off the field.

I think he's entitled to his opinion, but I think people, particularly connected to the city and the organization, should hold even mild opinions counter to just honoring and respecting the guy until at least next Tuesday after the funeral. He has at least earned that.

I'm not defending his comments but I think it's also pretty tough to spend several hours consistently discussing one topic without eventually hitting a land mine, so to speak. I caught a good portion of his show the past few days, I missed the portion referenced here but I found the coverage I did hear to be compassionate.

roybus14 wrote: why aren't people that are in harm's way everyday, like Firefighters, Police Officers, and our Soldiers in Iraq grieved over like fans are grieving for Sean.

They are or they would be.

I've not read what was said, but if this is true, its dissapointing for anyone to say let alone Riggins.

Riggs has been making outlandish comments ALL season my bruthas & sistas, this comes as no surprise to me. I think what he misses here is the fact that this guy played football and was killed in his home defending his family. Our rescue services and soldiers die in the line of duty defending our country. I, and maybe I'm just one of many, actually do go to the memorials on days set aside to honor these good people.. Memorial Day/Veteran's Day/Independence Day. Sean Taylor's death won't be celebrated every year to the extent that our fallen comrades are so I don't know why he'd say those things. To each is own and that's his perogative (sp) but whatever, I'll call his show later and blast him for it.

I think Riggins is missing something. This wasn't an accidental death. Not to say that I wouldn't be just as upset if Sean had been killed in, say, a car accident in the offseason or something - but I think the way things transpired was a major factor in the grief everyone is feeling now.

The fact that he was fatally attacked in his own house, his own bedroom, with his family right there. The fact that, after a very bleak assessment of his condition on Monday, hearing on Monday night that there might be room for some optimism as he was deemed "responsive." Then waking up on Tuesday to find out our hopes had been crushed during the night.


I keep trying to understand why exactly I've been so affected. After all, I never met Sean, and I didn't know much about him other than what was reported by the media, and the people who were close to him. But when I heard the news of his passing, my mind was flooded with thoughts and images of him. Maybe it's because I'm so tied emotionally to the team. Maybe it's because you hear guys like CP talk about Sean, and you feel a connection. Maybe it feels like we've been playing Safety right there next to Sean on the field for the past 4 years.

I would grieve just the same for any fallen hero from any team. But this being Sean Taylor, a star from our team, and seemingly a member of my own family - along with the circumstances behind this tragic end has made his death hit really close to home for me.

Riggins is entitled to his thoughts and it doesn't bother me. And perhaps some people won't agree with this, but the passing of Sean has affected me more than the other countless deaths I see in the news every day. Aside from the fact that he was murdered in his own home, in front of his family, I feel like he was my brother, my friend, my teammate - and I never even knew him.

roybus14 wrote:why aren't people that are in harm's way everyday, like Firefighters, Police Officers, and our Soldiers in Iraq grieved over like fans are grieving for Sean.

Because there is an inherent risk of danger associated with those professions as part of the job description. Persons in those professions know the risks before they accept the position.

The comparison is not valid in the least. Professional atheletes, or other persons inside their own home do not anticipate nor expect a risk of loss of life or limb as a condition of being in their home. Otherwise, far fewer people would go home each day.

To me, this simply sounds like a poor attempt at filling air-time by making a comparison where there is not a comparison to be made. I did not hear the actual program and can only base this opinion on the information provided in this thread.

Fios wrote:I'm not defending his comments but I think it's also pretty tough to spend several hours consistently discussing one topic without eventually hitting a land mine, so to speak. I caught a good portion of his show the past few days, I missed the portion referenced here but I found the coverage I did hear to be compassionate.

You hit the nail on the head. It's hard to continually repeat yourself for hours at a time on one topic trying to say something new.

I'm sure to catch flak for this, but I generally agree with Riggins here. While it does sadden me that ST had to die so young and tragically, especially leaving a young daughter who will never know her father, I'm not going to pretend it's any more tragic than, say, the servicemembers dying in Iraq every day, or the countless police officers or firefighters who've given their lives in the service of others. I'm not even comfortable with the word 'hero' being thrown around to describe ST. He was just a football player. Sure, he played for the team I love, and his teammates all described him as a great guy (of course, unless you're named TO, most of your teammates will usually say you're a great guy), but does that make him a hero? Pat Tillman was a hero - I'm fairly sure on that. Was ST? I'm not sure.

GSPODS wrote:Because there is an inherent risk of danger associated with those professions as part of the job description. Persons in those professions know the risks before they accept the position.

The comparison is not valid in the least. Professional atheletes, or other persons inside their own home do not anticipate nor expect a risk of loss of life or limb as a condition of being in their home. Otherwise, far fewer people would go home each day.

You took the words right out of my mouth. Well said.

Fios wrote:I'm not defending his comments but I think it's also pretty tough to spend several hours consistently discussing one topic without eventually hitting a land mine, so to speak.

Great point.

It's tough for some people to speak at all without hitting a land mine. John Riggins may have been a great Redskins player but no one who played with him ever thought he was the sharpest tool in the shed. I think Charles Mann held that honor.

I caught some of Riggo's show yesterday, and he mentioned a few interesting things:

1) "Mr. Snyder" offered to pay for transportation for any players who wanted to travel to the memorial service on Monday.

2) He thought that Mike Tirico's idea of asking Roger Goodell to change the Bears game to Saturday is a good idea.

On point 1, he brought up a point that was intriguing. Namely, that players had the "option" to go, since it was a day off. he (or the other guy) said that, like at any other workplace, perhaps there were guys who didn't know Sean too well, or just didn't get along.

That makes me wonder if the entire team will travel on Monday and if those who don't will be looked down upon.

In answer to John's question, the reason why we don't grieve as much for the individual firefighters and police officers and soldiers in Iraq is simply because we know nothing about them.

It's not that we don't care, I'm sure we all do, but there's a level of disassociation there.

Even though most of the fans didn't know Sean Taylor personally we knew him all the same.

We cheered for him, we cared about him, we loved him. We felt like he was ours. Not like we owned him, but more like he was a part of our families. And for 16 Sundays a year...he was.

This may be a difficult concept for Riggo as he probably doesn't view football in the same way as the typical fan does. John probably sees him more as an equal, than someone to root for.

I don't think he sees what happened as any less tragic, but I don't think he felt the same way for Taylor, that we the fans did.

Bob 0119 wrote:In answer to John's question, the reason why we don't grieve as much for the individual firefighters and police officers and soldiers in Iraq is simply because we know nothing about them.

It's not that we don't care, I'm sure we all do, but there's a level of disassociation there.

Even though most of the fans didn't know Sean Taylor personally we knew him all the same.

We cheered for him, we cared about him, we loved him. We felt like he was ours. Not like we owned him, but more like he was a part of our families. And for 16 Sundays a year...he was.

This may be a difficult concept for Riggo as he probably doesn't view football in the same way as the typical fan does. John probably sees him more as an equal, than someone to root for.

I don't think he sees what happened as any less tragic, but I don't think he felt the same way for Taylor, that we the fans did.

Great point. I do feel sad hearing of all the young guys that are being killed everyday in Iraq and elsewhere. It is a tragedy. I can speak from experience that I felt much worse for a friend of mine who died fighting a warehouse fire in Charlotte than I did for those who died during 9-11. My heart really goes out to those families of the brave firefighters and policemen who lost their lives that day, but losing my friend really hurt my soul. Knowing his five year old son would never again get to see him still hurts everytime I see the kid. The same applies to ST. Even those of us who didn't know him feel as though we do because of following his career.
I think it can also be said that soldiers, firemen, policemen, etc. all know that their life is on the line everyday. It is part of the job that they bravely have chosen to do. A football players life should not be in danger at home with his family. I just don't think Riggins fully thought out his statement before it slipped out.

I wonder if Riggins thinks that the soliders and firefighters who die everyday are more tragic than the billions of people that are suffering from disease, malnutrition, and other horrific conditions.

Why stop where he did? You can push it to its logical conclusion.

The human mind and heart can only take in so much at once. We grieve more for those who we know because their loss affects us more. OK, so it's not more tragic than any other death in one sense, but tragedy is in the eye of the beholder, sometimes.

REDEEMEDSKIN wrote:I caught some of Riggo's show yesterday, and he mentioned a few interesting things:

1) "Mr. Snyder" offered to pay for transportation for any players who wanted to travel to the memorial service on Monday.

2) He thought that Mike Tirico's idea of asking Roger Goodell to change the Bears game to Saturday is a good idea.

On point 1, he brought up a point that was intriguing. Namely, that players had the "option" to go, since it was a day off. he (or the other guy) said that, like at any other workplace, perhaps there were guys who didn't know Sean too well, or just didn't get along.

That makes me wonder if the entire team will travel on Monday and if those who don't will be looked down upon.

Just my opinion Redeemed, but everyone grieves differently. Those who may not go may simply just not want to go to a funeral. People don't have to go to a funeral to pay their respects. They may prefer to do it alone or they may prefer to attend just a viewing. My own personal experience was when my grandmother died, I simply could not go to the funeral. I could not keep it together. So during the time the funeral went on, I sat by myself and reflected in my own way. I hope some of that makes sense. Sometimes my thoughts get jumbled when typing them out.
Long and short, I don't think any player wil be looked down upon for not going.

I do understand your points, I'm just giving another view.

I think Riggins can ask this question without it being disrespectful to Sean or any of the fans. Its a curious thing to see people who didn't know this kid at all reacting with such grief. A person can ask why that is - and people can give valid answers for the question.

No harm.

Something I just thought about, how does JR even know how we grieve for our service people? His show is on "Redskin" radio and people were calling because a Redskin died. Someone needs to remind JR that his show is about sports and if he wants to talk about other issues such as people grieving for our service people, maybe he should host a show on WTOP or something. Also, when those holidays do come around, I can totally understand them switching the topics for that purpose. IMO.

roybus14 wrote:It was very interesting to hear from John Riggins on his show that he basically does not understand why fans are so upset about Sean's death and treating him like a great icon. He went on to basically say that Sean was just a football player and why aren't people that are in harm's way everyday, like Firefighters, Police Officers, and our Soldiers in Iraq grieved over like fans are grieving for Sean.

First off, this is another situation like I said in another post where you will always have someone come out and say something stupid or not the best to say during a time like this. Riggins is entitled to his opinion but as a former Redskin himself, I would have thought the he would show a little more "class" and not question the way fans, many of which cheered for and still adore him, grieve over the lost of Sean.

To question why there is such an out-pour of emotions for the lost of this young man, IMO, is not the best thing to even say. People grieve differently. I will give Galdy or Kevin Sheehan credit yesterday for trying to get Riggins to understand a fan's perspective by saying that if this had happened to him (Riggins) in 1984, they would have been equally as crushed if not more than many of us fans are over Sean.

I respect what John Riggins has bought to this city and organization and I also respect the fact that in this country, we do have the freedom of speech but I am extremely disappointed by the way he went about this yesterday. If John Riggins feels as though people that are actually in harm's way deaths are more important than Sean's, then he has a platform to honor those who die in harm's way. I don't see him reading the names of any fallen Police Officers, Firefighters or Soldiers during or at the end of his show since he thinks that their death's are more important than Sean's.

Your thoughts????

I can't understand why you took offense to what Riggo said. I heard him both Tuesday and Wednesday. He was not belittling the memory of Sean Taylor. It seams that sometime between Tuesday and Monday night he started feeling ashamed of how much more ST death hit him and the community than the deaths of those he called "real heroes". He was pointing out that there are plenty of people dying every day that are serving the country in some fashion.

He was not disrespectful to ST or the fans grieving for him in the least. He was just pointing out the struggle he was having with feeling more for the loss of Taylor, than someone else.

I do think he has been disrespectful to the team and Gibbs with some of his comments over the year, but yesterday wasn't one of them.

skinsfan#33 wrote:

roybus14 wrote:It was very interesting to hear from John Riggins on his show that he basically does not understand why fans are so upset about Sean's death and treating him like a great icon. He went on to basically say that Sean was just a football player and why aren't people that are in harm's way everyday, like Firefighters, Police Officers, and our Soldiers in Iraq grieved over like fans are grieving for Sean.

First off, this is another situation like I said in another post where you will always have someone come out and say something stupid or not the best to say during a time like this. Riggins is entitled to his opinion but as a former Redskin himself, I would have thought the he would show a little more "class" and not question the way fans, many of which cheered for and still adore him, grieve over the lost of Sean.

To question why there is such an out-pour of emotions for the lost of this young man, IMO, is not the best thing to even say. People grieve differently. I will give Galdy or Kevin Sheehan credit yesterday for trying to get Riggins to understand a fan's perspective by saying that if this had happened to him (Riggins) in 1984, they would have been equally as crushed if not more than many of us fans are over Sean.

I respect what John Riggins has bought to this city and organization and I also respect the fact that in this country, we do have the freedom of speech but I am extremely disappointed by the way he went about this yesterday. If John Riggins feels as though people that are actually in harm's way deaths are more important than Sean's, then he has a platform to honor those who die in harm's way. I don't see him reading the names of any fallen Police Officers, Firefighters or Soldiers during or at the end of his show since he thinks that their death's are more important than Sean's.

Your thoughts????

I can't understand why you took offense to what Riggo said. I heard him both Tuesday and Wednesday. He was not belittling the memory of Sean Taylor. It seams that sometime between Tuesday and Monday night he started feeling ashamed of how much more ST death hit him and the community than the deaths of those he called "real heroes". He was pointing out that there are plenty of people dying every day that are serving the country in some fashion.

He was not disrespectful to ST or the fans grieving for him in the least. He was just pointing out the struggle he was having with feeling more for the loss of Taylor, than someone else.

I do think he has been disrespectful to the team and Gibbs with some of his comments over the year, but yesterday wasn't one of them.

I don't have a problem knowing that people are dying everyday because that is a harsh reality that we all face. I guess perspective or interpretation are different for everybody, just like deal with a loss like this one.

If someone wants to call Sean their hero, who is he to really judge that? I think that where I really have a problem with this is that if he's going to take that stance, then he needs to be sure that he is doing his part to honor those in harm's way who die because he thinks that they deserve more recognition than a pro athlete. Like I said, he could tribute them by reading a name or names at the end of every radio show to honor them.

Irn-Bru wrote:I wonder if Riggins thinks that the soliders and firefighters who die everyday are more tragic than the billions of people that are suffering from disease, malnutrition, and other horrific conditions.

Why stop where he did? You can push it to its logical conclusion.

The human mind and heart can only take in so much at once. We grieve more for those who we know because their loss affects us more. OK, so it's not more tragic than any other death in one sense, but tragedy is in the eye of the beholder, sometimes.

Well said brother

patjam77 has a point about not going to the funeral and that everyone grieves differently, for different lengths of time and with different emotions. I have a friend that has never been able to attend a funeral, not even his parents. The thought of entering a funeral home and being near a dead body scares him so much that the one time he did try (his Fathers), he passed out on the street outside the funeral home from fear. Instead, he goes to his church and prays for them for 24 hours straight. That is his committment.

Right now, the emotions of Sean Taylor's passing are still at their highest. Maybe we could all give a little leeway to someone whose statements do not meet our definition of respectful because it probably was not meant that way. I listened to that John Riggins show and did not get the same feeling that others has gotten from his statements.

GSPODS wrote:

roybus14 wrote:why aren't people that are in harm's way everyday, like Firefighters, Police Officers, and our Soldiers in Iraq grieved over like fans are grieving for Sean.

Because there is an inherent risk of danger associated with those professions as part of the job description. Persons in those professions know the risks before they accept the position.

The comparison is not valid in the least. Professional atheletes, or other persons inside their own home do not anticipate nor expect a risk of loss of life or limb as a condition of being in their home. Otherwise, far fewer people would go home each day.

To me, this simply sounds like a poor attempt at filling air-time by making a comparison where there is not a comparison to be made. I did not hear the actual program and can only base this opinion on the information provided in this thread.

I thought the same thing... We (I am AD, USAF) know that we might die doing something... The dog catcher knows he might get bit and the model knows she will be labled a whore now and again. I am mad that some of the media thinks that ST had it coming or because he was trying to keep it real... You get shot at your home trying to keep it real...He was famous and he was rich... that could have something to do with it...

Mad love to the Taylor fam, his little girl and his gf. Big ups to the 'Skins and to the fans

HAIL!