Sean Taylor passes away at 24

[Danny Hogan]

Not so say that Mr. Taylor was a gang member, but wouldn't it be easier to just have a gun in your dresser drawer?

I thought he wasn't allowed to have a gun because of his probation.

correct. probation from pistol-whipping a guy he suspected of stealing his ATV.

again, a tragedy but this was not Steve Young.

[TheBearcatHimself]

Not so say that Mr. Taylor was a gang member, but wouldn't it be easier to just have a gun in your dresser drawer?

I thought he wasn't allowed to have a gun because of his probation.

correct. probation from pistol-whipping a guy he suspected of stealing his ATV.

again, a tragedy but this was not Steve Young.

So because he isn't a white, upper-class Mormon he is a perpetrator of violence and therefore should be subject to it as well?

A man was murdered in his own home. He had a machete and not a gun because of probation, which he was serving faithfully. In this country you are entitled to due process and the punishment of the courts. What I see is a man who was convicted and was serving his debt to society through his sentence of probation. I hardly see how you can somehow pervert these actions into saying that Sean Taylor was waiting to be killed.

I am disgusted by Michael Wilbon's words, judging by the reaction of others on this forum his words are only fueling the fire against Taylor's reputation. He should know better...

[StrykerFSU]

I believe Wilbon's point was that even though Taylor had apparently changed from his wilder days, those that he had previously either run with or had altercations with had not changed their's.

Wilbon wrote

Could have been a random act, a break-in, something that happens every day in America, something that could happen to any one of us no matter how safe we think our neighborhood is. Could have been just that. But would it surprise me if it was more than that, if there was a distinct reason Taylor was sleeping with a machete under his bed? A machete. Even though his attorney and friend Richard Sharpstein says his instincts tell him "this was not a murder or a hit," would it stun me if Taylor was specifically targeted? Not one bit.

You see, just because Taylor was changing his life, don't assume the people who pumped 15 bullets into his SUV a couple of years ago were in the process of changing theirs. Maybe it was them, maybe not. Maybe it was somebody else who had a beef with Taylor a year earlier, maybe not. Maybe it was retribution or envy or some volatile combination.

What's so disgusting about pointing out that young, black men who engage in a culture of violence and guns are at risk and that even after seemingly leaving that culture, one is still at risk unless they distance themselves fully? To view this as a simple break-in gone bad and not as a gangland style hit is naive at best given all of the evidence...a previous break-in where a weapon was left on his bed and the shooting incident alluded to by Wilbon to name two.

It is my opinion that Sean Taylor was probably murdered as a result of some incident or association from his past. It is a great tragedy and I hope it serves as a lesson for our youth that decisions you make early in life can have dire consequences down the road. I am glad there are journalists like Mike Wilbon who are brave enough to ask the tough questions.

So because he isn't a white, upper-class Mormon he is a perpetrator of violence and therefore should be subject to it as well?

That's clearly not what was meant by the comparison. Steve Young = no criminal history, Sean Taylor = criminal history. That doesn't mean that Taylor got what he deserved, only that he put himself at more risk than someone who is consistently law abiding. How about this, "again, a tragedy but this was not Donovan McNabb."

As a lifelong Skins fan this is a terrible loss and I hope that Taylor's fiance and young daughter will persevere through the tragedy.

[Danny Hogan]

stryker thanks for saving me the breath.

[Danny Hogan]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3132378

Childhood friend Antrel Rolle doubts it was a burglary.

"He really didn't say too much," Rolle said, "but I know he lived his life pretty much scared every day of his life when he was down in Miami because those people were targeting him. At least, he's got peace now."

[FLAK]

"He really didn't say too much," Rolle said, "but I know he lived his life pretty much scared every day of his life when he was down in Miami because those people were targeting him. At least, he's got peace now."

I know that he's from there and all that, but if he was legitimately scared every day of his life when he was down in Miami (I don't blame him with all the FLID's running around with their collars popped and their new haircuts) then why would he put his life and his daughter's life at risk by owning and residing in a house located in an area where he had dangerous enemies inhabiting within a reasonable vicinity. I only ask because of the outcome, I'm sure he wanted to show them that he wasn't afraid, but he had everything to lose (obviously) and nothing to gain in living there.

[KnoxVegas]

Taylor's girlfriend is the niece of actor Andy Garcia:

http://www.tmz.com/2007/11/29/andy-garcia-taylor-saved-my-niece/

[JW]

It just sucks to know that all of us in our mid 20's could suffer the same fate.