Sean's Gone

I chose(borrowed)this title from a post I read this same time last year.

Simple. To the point. Devastating.

Those 2 words captured the pain and shock of Redskins Nation on this date, Nov. 27, 2007.

For that is the date when we lost our best player.

He wasn't traded nor did he retire. He was stolen from us by people with less brains than brawn.

Sean Taylor, safety extraordinaire for my Redskins since 2004. One moment he was limping off of the field during the Eagles game, the next he lay lifeless in a Florida hospital. Shot in the groin by intruders who broke into his home. He was protecting his family it seems. He gave little regard for his own well being that night. Everything worth anything to him that night, was in that house with him and he desperately wanted to protect them.

(Tribute Song & Video by Chris Louis.

He succeeded. We lost.

• One year later

As I sat at the table preparing to seat the feast that my Mom had prepared for us, my mind wandered down I-95 to Florida.

Another family was sitting at a table preparing to eat but something is different this time. There's an empty chair at their table. It will not be filled again, in this lifetime, by the young, vibrant, strong, football player of a guy, that used to sit there.

It seems so unfair when someone so young, so alive, leaves us. It seems especially cruel when that person leaves because of the actions of another.

How do I know you ask?

I know because there's an empty chair at my table also. My son once filled that chair. He, too, left because of others' actions.

The Taylor family have faced a plethora of firsts since Sean's death. It will get a little easier as time pushes on. But they will never forget.

For as painful as it is for us, the fans who loved watching him on Sundays, his family's pain is far greater.

• We knew him as the best safety to ever play this game.
• They knew him as a son.
• We knew him as the hard hitter that created nightmares for receivers on every team.
• They knew him as a brother, father, grandson and friend.
• We knew him as a quiet threat whose love for this game captivated us and gave us hope.
• They knew him as a provider, a protector and an important part of what made them who they were.

Who do you think suffered the greater loss?

Sean's gone. We miss him. He fulfilled his purpose, whatever that may have been, while he was here.

We'll never forget.

It's not about his on field play. It's not about his hits or his interceptions. It's about a son, brother, cousin, uncle, father and friend who lost his life doing what more men ought to do. Protect what's important to them.

What was important to Sean was what he died protecting.

His daughter and his fiance'.

RIP Young Man!

Well Done!

Sean M. Taylor

4/1/1983 - 11/27/2007