Behind the Numbers 11.30.07: Sean Taylor
Posted by Chris Widner on 11.30.2007
This week is truly going to be behind the numbers as I ignore Sean Taylor as a player and look at his life and those similar to it...
The killing of Sean Taylor has rocked the Washington Redskins, their fans, and the entire NFL. Information on his shooting death is very limited at this time, but police believe that it was a random burglary. This should make us all ask the question his family and friends are, no doubt, asking themselves. Why did they kill him? Why not take the loot and leave? With a lack of information to go on, many news outlets have decided to focus quite a bit on his past. Sean Taylor had his share of negative press and run-ins with the law, to go along with multiple fines in the NFL and only now are we starting to hear more about his killing than the mistakes of his past. We should again ask ourselves, why has so much attention been paid to his past mistakes when he was the victim of a shooting, possible homicide? The media is supposed to present the facts; explain the who, what, when, where, and why. If they want to explain who Sean Taylor was, why not also mention the donations he has made, talk about how his daughter changed his entire life, or even talk about how he cut ties with the negative influences in his life? It's almost like there is this subtle hint that he asked for it and had it coming to him. I don't care who you are, nobody deserves to have someone (or someones) break into their home in the middle of the night and kill them.
Taylor's childhood friend, Antrel Rolle, does not believe that this was a random burglary. He says that Taylor had cut off ties from some of their old friends who were negative influences in his life and that these former friends had made threats against him for three years. Rolle said that these threats had Taylor fearing for his life while in Miami. Last week's issue of ESPN the Magazine had a great article on Michael Vick and how keeping his childhood friends close led to his downfall. When these athletes become major stars, former associates from their neighborhoods tell these athletes that they owe them something. It's as if there is a price to pay for a "hedge of protection" given to the athletes while they were growing up. In many of these neighborhoods the youth are heavily pressured to involve themselves in thuggish behavior. Only because the athletes are going places are they allowed a free pass. Taylor's former associates wanted him to pay them back for not forcing him to follow them during their teenage years. When he realized that they were bringing him down he cut ties and they were not happy. So, yes, these news outlets covering his past mistakes are right in that he ran with a bad crowd. It's a shame that they don't mention that he realized his mistakes and cut the bad ties. Again, let's as ourselves why?
We live in an age where Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton are given the spotlight for every mistake they make. I could care less about these stars, but somehow I know that Britney ditched her kids during a supervised visit to go chandelier shopping. Our nation enjoys watching the fall of stars and loves to look at every mistake they make. Do we enjoy watching someone fall so much that we will allow the news outlets to imply that Sean Taylor deserved this? I'm sure I'm going to get some serious heat for saying something like that, but you'd have to be crazy not to see the implication.
I love sports for a number of reasons. Sports are fun to play, they're fun to watch, and with games like Madden we can play them in the comfort of our homes with a bag of Fritos. But sports also teach us about life and the world we live in. As a former coach I've seen young men and women mature in life because of experiences on the field or court. Because we put such a spotlight on our superstars their triumphs and downfalls shed light on things that happen every day. Do you think Michael Vick was the first person involved in dog fighting? Was Len Bias the first person to die from an overdose? Is Lance Armstrong the only person that has come back from cancer to live a normal life? The examples could go on. Sean Taylor was killed at the age of 24. As Jemele Hill points out in her ESPN article homicide is the #1 cause of death for black men ages 15-24.
Granted the number of deaths for that demographic have dropped dramatically since the 70s but it is still a problem. Just stop and think about that for a moment; if you're a black male between 15 and 24, if you're going to die it will most likely be by the hands of someone else.
Is that playing the race card as many people have accused Jemele Hill and others of doing? Yes, the race card is played all too often, Hill is simply stating a fact. Taylor's father gave the Washington Redskins organization a very motivational speech to play the rest of the season for Taylor and that is a wonderful way of honoring this young man who died way before he should have. But if the Redskins playing the rest of the season for Taylor is the only thing that comes out of this tragedy it will be a shame. The left and the right are lining up for the upcoming election and they are going to talk about a variety of topic. Unfortunately it will be just that, talk. Taylor's death should remind us that there is a serious issue with violence in our nation. We still have neighborhoods and cities where it's not safe to walk at night, and sometimes even during the day. And instead of accusing people of playing the race card or being too afraid to discuss the issues we need to talk. I know you came here to read about sports and this may not sit well with all of you. But if we're going to let the special interest groups in our nation dictate what we care about and wait for one of them to care about Taylor, then his death will be in vain. If that is what you plan to do, let me ask you a question. Why?
