On Monday I managed to watch part of the funeral mass held in honor of Sean Taylor. I think saying it was moving is a huge understatement. Listening to the stories and memories shared by those closest to him, really gave insight into the person Sean really was. For me, it really reemphasized how much of a tragedy his loss really is. Any loss of life is a loss too many, but Sean really was one of the good guys and had a lot to look forward to, including his 18-month old daughter.

Former teammate Lavar Arrington, current teammate and close friend Clinton Portis, and Carolina Garcia, sister of Sean’s girlfriend, all made touching tributes to Sean. I think they did a great job of sharing who Sean Taylor the man, was.

I was surprised (but glad) when Florida City mayor Otis Wallace addressed the the media, when he said:

“One of the things that I hope comes out of this tragedy is that the media get a small lesson in grace and humility. For those who took the liberty of recklessly speculating that this young man’s death was caused by the way he lived, all I can say is they should be ashamed.”

It’s only human nature to want to speculate and guess when details of a story are missing or unclear, but I think the media has the responsibility to get the facts right before broadcasting a story. They should have simply stuck to the facts: Sean Taylor was murdered in his own home.  Instead, the media made wild speculation and decided prematurely that Sean Taylor’s past associations and/or transgressions had come back to haunt him. This of course, was not the case.

It seems that in this day and age that more emphasis is being placed on getting the story out as soon as possible regardless as to how many details remain unknown, even if it means filling in the gaps with speculation and uncorroborated statements. What the media fails to realize is that by doing this, they are potentially damaging the victim’s character all the while making the situation even more painful to those closest to and most affected by the loss. It’s irresponsible and reckless.

Finally, it was great to see the entire Redskins organization attend the funeral. I think the Redskins organization, and more specifically owner Daniel Snyder, have handled this tragedy flawlessly. He has been nothing but a class act and I commend him for his actions. He not only flew the entire organization down to Miami for the funeral, but also setup a memorial trust fund for Sean’s daughter, making an initial contribution of $500,000 with an added promise that profits from Sean Taylor merchandise would also be donated.

While we have lost a great man and a gridiron god, he will never be forgotten. I’m grateful that I had the opportunity to see his passion and dedication for the game, his raw athleticism, to see him perform. He was a quiet leader and he played with mind, body, and soul, but most importantly heart.  A true Redskin.

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