The Sean Taylor Case

Greensboro, NC -- I actually met Sean Taylor at Redskins Training Camp during the summer of 2004. He was a nice, but quiet guy. I remember that he had a large tattoo going around his neck as if it were a permanent necklace. An extremely large man, I can see why wide receivers go the opposite direction when contact is made with him. Nevertheless, all it takes is 9 mm of sheer metal to end this gifted athlete's life. With four suspects in custody as of this writing, the remaining debate in the case is whether Taylor was a victim of a burglary or a planned attack.

The burglary vs. planned attack dilemma befuddles me. Isn't a burglary a planned attack? If one and two are both the same, wouldn't the number of years sentenced be the same as well? Here's what I think what happened... Taylor's family friend threw a party at his mansion behind his back while he was feasting on turkey back in DC. At least two of these four thugs probably attended the party and saw the lavish possessions of Taylor's in his house. With Taylor expected to be in DC on Monday morning for workouts, Sunday night would be the least likely time that he wouldn't be home. The burglary is planned and executed until they see Taylor in his bedroom with a machette. Shots fired. That would be my guess.

Why else would these individuals return to his estate in the middle of the night? Jealousy, precious medallions, and cash could all be factors. But what if the average NFL player earned the average salary of any other U.S. job? What if a star NFL player earned the same amount as a star player of a major company? The answer to the latter question is quite vague depending on the company. Could be $75,000 - $2,000,000 for example. You don't need an education to play football. What you need is body with physical gifts that only several thousand people on this planet possess. That's what you're paid for. What if Taylor had been making a typical salary for a job for someone right out of college? $15K-$75K? Would these hoodlums be looting his house if he were making that kind of dough? Probably not. But that's one of the many downfalls of professional sports (and in life); money -- and therefore, greed.