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Full Name: Sean Michael Taylor Primary Position: DB
Height/Weight: 6' 2"/231 College: University of Miami
Birthdate: April 1, 1983 High School: Gulliver (Miami, FL)
Birthplace: Miami, FL
Pro Experience: 3 years
Death date: November 27, 2007

Biography[]

Sean Michael Maurice Taylor (April 1, 1983 – November 27, 2007) played free safety for the Washington Redskins of the NFL. Due to his ferocious style of hitting, his teammates had nicknamed him "Meast", a summarization of "half-man, half-beast".

Washington Redskins[]

Following his 2004 selection by the Redskins, Taylor signed a seven-year, $18 million contract with the team.

2004 rookie season[]

On the field during the 2004 season, Taylor was successful, emerging as the Redskins' starting free safety by the third game of his rookie season. For the season, he had the team's second most interceptions, with four. In addition to his four interceptions, Taylor had 89 tackles, two forced fumbles and one sack. He started for the Redskins in 13 of the season's 16 games.

Taylor's short NFL career, however, was overshadowed somewhat by controversy. He fired two of his agents, walked out of a mandatory NFL rookie symposium for which he was fined, and was accused of spitting on Cincinnati Bengals player, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who later called Taylor "a punk", during a 2004 game at FedEx Field. However, after an investigation, the NFL found nothing to substantiate the spitting allegation.

2005 season[]

Taylor continued his effective play in the 2005 season, finishing with 70 tackles, 1 sack, 2 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 fumble returned for a touchdown. In this year he became recognized as one of the hardest hitters in the NFL.

Taylor, along with fellow University of Miami and Redskins' teammate Clinton Portis, was fined $5,000 in the home game against the Philadelphia Eagles for violating the NFL dress code by wearing socks that did not match the Redskins' standard uniform. Portis was fined even more for additional infractions.

Taylor had ups and downs during a January 7, 2006 wild card game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Although he scored a touchdown that proved to be the Redskins' margin of victory, he was ejected after spitting at running back Michael Pittman. He was subsequently fined $17,000, the amount of his game check.

2006 season[]

The 2006 season was arguably the most inconsistent of Taylor's career. He finished the year leading the Redskins' defense with 129 tackles, 1 interception and 3 forced fumbles. However, Taylor missed numerous tackles in his attempts to knock the ball carrier out and was exposed in coverage on several occasions too. Some backers of Taylor might say this was the culmination of Taylor being forced to make tackles near the line of scrimmage to help the struggling Redskins defensive rush unit

Taylor had his best game of the season in week 12 against the Carolina Panthers. Though he played well all game, his presence was felt most sharply in the final minutes, making a key 4th-down tackle and intercepting a Jake Delhomme pass to seal the victory. He earned NFL Defensive Player of the Week honors following the game.

Even while playing on a struggling Redskins defensive unit, Taylor's impact on the field was recognized when he was named a first alternate to the NFC's 2007 Pro Bowl team. When the first choice for safety, Brian Dawkins of the Philadelphia Eagles, chose not to play in the Pro Bowl due to an injury, Taylor was named to the vacated spot, marking his first and only Pro Bowl appearance.

2007 season[]

The 2007 season started out in what looked like to be another Pro Bowl caliber season. Before Taylor's death on November 27, 2007, he held a tie for interceptions in the National Football Conference with 5. Taylor also racked up 42 tackles and 1 forced fumble. Taylor was sidelined due to injury for the last two weeks of his playing career (Weeks 11 and 12 of the season).

Legal trouble[]

DUI arrest[]

On October 27, 2004, Taylor was arrested at 2:45am for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol following a birthday party for former Redskins' receiver Rod Gardner. A Fairfax County, Virginia judge later acquitted Taylor of the charges in March 2005, after viewing a videotape of Taylor's roadside sobriety tests that, according to the judge, failed to demonstrate obvious intoxication. Taylor was, however, convicted for refusing to take a blood alcohol test requested of him by a Virginia state police officer.However, when this case was heard on appeal in March 2005, Taylor was acquitted of refusing to take a BAC test, due to lack of probable cause for the request.

Missing 2005 Redskins mini-camp[]

In May, 2005, Taylor, seeking a new contract with the Redskins, was the only Redskin who refused to appear for a Redskins' training mini-camp. Redskins coach Joe Gibbs acknowledged that the Redskins had had no contact with Taylor since he returned to Miami in January, 2005, and that he had failed to return repeated phone calls to him by Gibbs and other Redskins' coaching staff. Despite his legal and other difficulties, though, Gibbs has defended the drafting of Taylor, calling the preparation that went into his selection one of the "most researched things in the history of sports".

Taylor's agent was fellow University of Miami alumnus Drew Rosenhaus, widely considered one of the most aggressive agents then representing NFL players. Rosenhaus represented Taylor in his efforts to renegotiate his Redskins' contract up until his death.

Arrested for armed assault[]

Events:

  • On June 3, 2005, Taylor was named publicly as a "person of interest" by Miami-Dade County police in regard to a Miami assault case involving firearms, and was being sought for questioning. "We need to speak to him, we don't know if he's a victim, witness or suspect," Miami-Dade police spokesman Mary Walters said. Taylor allegedly was present at, and possibly involved in, an incident on June 1, 2005 in Miami, in which bullets allegedly were fired into a stolen vehicle. Template:Fact
  • On June 5, 2005, ESPN and The Miami Herald both reported that Taylor, accompanied by his lawyer, surrendered to Miami-Dade police at approximately 10pm ET on June 4 at Miami's Cutler Ridge district police station, where he was transported to Miami's Turner Guilford Knight correctional facility. He was charged with aggravated assault with a firearm, a felony, and misdemeanor battery.Template:Fact
  • On June 5, Miami-Dade police issued a statement indicating that Taylor had been arrested for aggravated assault with a firearm (a felony) and battery (a misdemeanor), for allegedly pointing a gun at a person over a dispute over two ATVs that Taylor claimed were stolen.Template:Fact Taylor then allegedly left the scene, but returned shortly and punched one person.Template:Fact
  • The Associated Press reported on June 5 that Taylor was held in detention at Miami's Turner Gilford Knight correctional facility and released the evening of June 4 after posting bond of $16,500. The Miami-Dade County Clerk's Office announced that Taylor would soon be officially arraigned on the charges.
  • The Washington Post reported on March 3, 2006 that Taylor's trial has been postponed until April 10, 2006. Days before that date, the trial was moved back once more, this time by a week, because of conflicts with Passover and Easter celebrations.

Plea agreement and resolution[]

On January 28, 2006, the Miami-Dade County prosecutor announced that he was filing new charges against Taylor, which would have increased his potential maximum jail time from 16 years to 46 years.

The new charges include increasing his felony assault charges from one to three, which reflects the allegation that, on June 1, 2005, he brandished a firearm at three individuals who Taylor believed stole two all-terrain vehicles from him.

The trial was again postponed on April 17, 2006 (to May 8, 2006), after the prosecutor in the case asked the presiding judge to be removed from the case. The County prosecutor's request for removal from the case came as Taylor's defense lawyers argued that the prosecutor was using the case to promote his side-work as a disc jockey in South Beach. Defense lawyers for Taylor entered a motion for the case's complete dismissal, due to prosecutorial misconduct.

On May 8, 2006, the prosecution requested and received another extension of the case, citing the new prosecutor assigned to the case and a need for additional preparation time. The trial was scheduled to begin July 10, 2006 in Miami but on June 2, 2006 the charges against Taylor were dropped as part of a negotiated plea bargain. Taylor donated his time to various charities and made $1,000 donations to 10 southern Florida schools in scholarships and, in exchange, will avoid jail time and a felony record.

Death[]

On November 26, 2007, at 1:45 AM., Taylor was shot in the upper leg by an armed intruder at his Palmetto Bay home, critically wounding him by severing his femoral artery. His girlfriend tried to call police from the house line, only to discover the line had been cut. She proceeded to call 911 from her cell phone, which delayed response time.

Taylor was airlifted to the Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital where he underwent surgery. He emerged from surgery about 12:30 PM. He had lost a significant amount of blood and remained unconscious and in a coma. His doctors speculated that he may have suffered brain damage due to the blood loss, and an unnamed Redskins source reported that Taylor's heart stopped twice during the emergency surgery.

On November 27 at 3:30 AM EST, Taylor died at the hospital. The news was released to the media by Richard Sharpstein, a family friend, who learned the news from Taylor's father around the time of his death.

Scouting Report[]

Statistics[]

Interception Stats[]

year team league games INT YDS LNG TD
2004 WAS NFL 15 4 85 45 0
2005 WAS NFL 15 2 34 32 0
2006 WAS NFL 16 1 25 25 0
3 year NFL career 46 7 144 0 0

Sack/Safety Stats[]

year team league games SK SFY
2004 WAS NFL 15 1 0
2005 WAS NFL 15 1 0
2006 WAS NFL 16 0 0
3 year NFL career 46 2 0

Trivia[]

Template:NFL Draft Pick

  • On December 18, 2007, Taylor became the first NFL player to be posthumously voted to the Pro Bowl.


See also[]

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