Sean Taylor dead at the age of 24.

[somethingdunk]

Damn man my favorite player on my favorite team! R.I.P Sean Taylor.... always a ********!

 

[bkmac]

My mother woke me up an hour before I usually wake up for school, and I had a little trouble going back to sleep. This is sad.

R.I.P. Sean Taylor. My prayers are with him and his family.

 

[don23lucia]

R.I.P. Sean Taylor

 

[dmxfury]

Wow, prayers with the family.

 

[damnitzvin]

rip

 

[wildout4]

wow%+$+ is crazy these days. i bet the robbers shot him in the leg not expecting him to die too.

 

[jayfiend]

R.I.P Sean Taylor and my prayers are with his family and friends.

 

[twilight24xjet]

!%+% is crazy, I just stared at my computer screen for a hot minute
RIP Sean Taylor

EDIT* Heres the ESPN article to go along with it

[h1][/h1]

[h1]Taylor dies after being shot at home[/h1]
Associated Press

Updated: November 27, 2007, 6:58 AM ET

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MIAMI -- Washington ******** safety Sean Taylor has died, a day after he was shot at home. He was 24.

Taylor

Family friend Richard Sharpstein said Taylor's father told him the news around 5:30 a.m.

"His father called and said he was with Christ and he cried and thanked me," said Sharpstein, Taylor's former lawyer. "It's a tremendously sad and unnecessary event. He was a wonderful, humble, talented young man, and had a huge life in front of him. Obviously God had other plans."

He said he did not know exactly when Taylor died at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, where he was airlifted after the shooting early Monday.

Doctors had been encouraged late Monday night when Taylor squeezed a nurse's hand. But Sharpstein said he was told Taylor never regained consciousness after being transported to the hospital and that he wasn't sure how he had squeezed the nurse's hand.

"Maybe he was trying to say goodbye or something," Sharpstein said.

The 24-year-old was shot early Monday in the upper leg, damaging an artery and causing significant blood loss.

Miami-Dade Police were investigating the attack, which came just eight days after an intruder was reported at Taylor's home. Officers were dispatched about 1:45 a.m. Monday after Taylor's girlfriend called 911. Taylor was airlifted to the hospital.

Sharpstein said Taylor's girlfriend told him the couple was awakened by loud noises, and Taylor grabbed a machete he keeps in the bedroom for protection. Someone then broke through the bedroom door and fired two shots, one missing and one hitting Taylor, Sharpstein said. Taylor's 1-year-old daughter, Jackie, was also in the house at the time, but neither she nor Taylor's girlfriend were injured.

"It could have been a possible burglary; it could have been a possible robbery," Miami-Dade Police Lt. Nancy Perez said. "It has not been confirmed as yet."

Taylor was shot at the pale yellow house he bought two years ago in the Miami suburb of Palmetto Bay. Eight days before the attack someone pried open a front window, rifled through drawers and left a kitchen knife on a bed at Taylor's home, according to police.

"They're really sifting through that incident and today's incident," Miami-Dade Police Detective Mario Rachid said, "to see if there's any correlation."

Taylor starred as a running back and defensive back at Gulliver Preparatory School in Miami. His father, Pedro Taylor, is the police chief of Florida City, Fla.

A private man with a small inner circle, Taylor rarely granted interviews. But, behind the scenes, Taylor was described as personable and smart -- an emerging locker room leader.

Especially since the birth of his daughter Jackie.

"From the first day I met him, from then to now, it's just like night and day," ******** receiver James Thrash said. "He's really got his head on his shoulders and has been doing really well as far as just being a man. It's been awesome to see that growth."

An All-American at the University of Miami, Taylor was drafted by the ******** with the fifth overall selection in 2004. Coach Joe Gibbs called it "one of the most researched things" he's ever done, but the problems soon began. Taylor fired his agent, then skipped part of the NFL's mandatory rookie symposium, drawing a $25,000 fine. Driving home late from a party during the season, he was pulled over and charged with drunken driving. The case was dismissed in court, but by then it had become a months-long distraction for the team.

Taylor also was fined at least seven times for late hits, uniform violations and other infractions over his first three seasons, including a $17,000 penalty for spitting in the face of Tampa Bay running back Michael Pittman during a playoff game in January 2006.

Meanwhile, Taylor endured a yearlong legal battle after he was accused in 2005 of brandishing a gun at a man during a fight over allegedly stolen all-terrain vehicles near Taylor's home. He eventually pleaded no contest to two misdemeanors and was sentenced to 18 months' probation.

Taylor said the end of the assault case was like "a gray cloud" being lifted. It was also around the time that Jackie was born, and teammates noticed a change.

"It's hard to expect a man to grow up overnight," said ******** teammate and close friend Clinton Portis, who also played with Taylor at the University of Miami. "But ever since he had his child, it was like a new Sean, and everybody around here knew it. He was always smiling, always happy, always talking about his child."

On the field, Taylor's play was often erratic. Assistant coach Gregg Williams frequently called Taylor the best athlete he's ever coached, but nearly every big play was mitigated by a blown assignment. Taylor led the NFL in missed tackles in 2006 yet made the Pro Bowl because of his reputation as one of the hardest hitters in the league.

This year, however, Taylor was allowed to play a true free safety position, using his speed and power to chase down passes and crush would-be receivers. His five interceptions tie for the league lead in the NFC, even though he missed the last two games because of a sprained knee.

"I just take this job very seriously," Taylor said in a rare group interview during training camp. "It's almost like, you play a kid's game for a king's ransom. And if you don't take it serious enough, eventually one day you're going to say, 'Oh, I could have done this, I could have done that.'

"So I just say, 'I'm healthy right now, I'm going into my fourth year, and why not do the best that I can?' And that's whatever it is, whether it's eating right or training myself right, whether it's studying harder, whatever I can do to better myself."

His hard work was well-noted.

"He loved football. He felt like that's what he was made to do," Gibbs said. "And I think what I've noticed over the last year and a half ... is he matured. I think his baby had a huge impact on him. There was a real growing up in his life."

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press

 

[jonnyblazenyc]

This hits very very close to home. Our school and family has dealt with the loss of two outstanding people in a small time frame. Pata was a great person bothon and off the field, and now Taylor. It's really a mournful day to be a Miami Hurricane. Rest In Peace Sean Taylor, all of us at The University of Miamiwill remember you always.

 

[MambaMentality824]

My prayers are with his family and everyone connected to him. I've been getting chills ever since I heard this. Man I am really in shock.

 

[classy freshman]

The thing that really bothers me is that a man would have the audacity to come into another mans home, break into his bedroom where a woman and a 1 year oldchild are also sleeping, and kill him. I mean I am sitting at work right now shaking because I am so furious just visualizing that scenario in my head. I couldcare less if Sean Taylor was a football player or not, no man should have to go through that.

 

[vagixxer]

RIP Sean Taylor......you were a great player on the field and will truly be missed by all.

 

[doublejs07]

I feel horribly about everything that transpired. I have been a fan of Sean Taylor since his sophomore year at Miami. I was elated when the Skins eventuallydrafted him a few years back. He was by far my favorite player on the squad. His athleticism was ridiculous, and the sad thing about everything is it seemedlike this season he finally put it all together both on and off the field. He made mistakes in his life, but honestly who hasn't? This was a man who hadtruly changed, and anyone who follows Skins football saw the difference in him. I don't even know if I will be able to watch the news tonight with thecoaches, family, and player interviews. It's going to be too hard. I went to bed last night after hearing Pedro Taylor's interview outside of thehospital. He sounded upbeat and positive about everything that was going on with his son. That is a STRONG man right there. Before falling asleep, I keptthinking that even though ST had an uphill battle, everything was going to be alright. Driving to work this morning, I heard the news and my heart sank. For aguy who I didn't know personally, it really stung. God Bless his family. What happened to Sean Taylor really puts everything in prespective. Even some ofour heros are not immune to being victims of violent acts. I just hope that justice is served for whoever did this. He broke up a family, a father, a son, abrother, etc etc. How someone can have such little regard for human life is beyond me. I have faith in the Miami PD and whoever is doing the detective work,that they will do a dilligent job and apprehend whoever committed this crime. Life just isn't fair sometimes.

 

[jking0821]

I can't believe this

The best safety in the league. As of now he is still tied for the NFC lead in interceptions. He has an 18 month old baby girl. He was my favorite player inthe NFL. Prayers go out to his family, this goes down as one of the worst days ever.

R.I.P. Sean Taylor November 27, 2007

 

[ThaxbyChamblis]

R.I.P to my dude....

 

[gettin it crackin]

I really cannot believe this.


Rest in peace, Sean.

 

[ultralightbeam]

Absolutely unbelievable. SMH @ people these days. Sean Taylor, R.I.P.

 

[da doc03]

this doesn't even seem real.... i cant believe he's gone..... R.I.P Sean

 

[bigavelli]

This %*%% didn't need to happen

R.I.P.

 

[baysickbeatz]

r.i.p.

 

[dajoka004]

Looks like the reports last night of him squeezing the hand doctor weren't true. It now says it was a nurse and he never regained consciousness, whichobviously means he wasn't moving period. It sucks to have false hope go out like that when stuff like this happens.

 

[ronmexico7]

Rest in Peace Sean Taylor... Was really looking forward to seeing you play against the Boys at FedEx on December 30th... Can't believe we'll never seeyou play again...

On behalf of all TeamCowboys members, our thoughts, prayers, and condolences go out to the Taylor family, the ******** organization, and all Skins fansthroughout the world...

 

[4wrestling]

R.I.P.

 

[innoutluvr]

R.I.P =`[.

 

[bigtomdawg]

very sad