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This coming August, it appears that the monsters responsible for the death of Sean Taylor will FINALLY stand trial for their awful act. After nearly six years, four men (I won't even mention their names because they don't deserve it) will face life in prison if convicted. Taken before his time, Sean Taylor was on his way to a promising career before it was cut so short in an act that not only affected the Taylor family, but the whole D.C. community and all across the NFL. The Taylor family may finally get closure against the men who took away a son, a father, and an excellent football player. They say you never forget where you were when such an impactful moment occurs in your life, so where were you when you heard the terrible news?
I was living with my girlfriend at the time. Her father had just moved in because he was having a hard time with money, couldn't pay his bills and we had an extra bedroom. I remember hearing the news that Sean Taylor was shot late that night and that he was in critical condition. The original news obviously shocked me. We idolize some of these players and sometimes don't realize that they have real lives too. My initial scared-reaction then calmed down as more information came through the news. While the news mentioned he was in critical condition, maybe I was naive, but I had no doubt in my mind that a 6'4" 230 lbs National League Football player would survive a gunshot to the leg. I stayed up real late that night, retrieving any more info that I could but the updates started to get fewer and further in between. I fell asleep with my phone in my hand and my laptop by my side. I woke up the next morning and stumbled into the kitchen to get a drink out of the refrigerator only to hear my girlfriend's dad fell asleep with his TV on (go figure). The first thing I heard when I focused on listening through the closed door was, "Washington Redskins safety, Sean Taylor. . . .is dead." I broke down, right there in the kitchen. I woke everyone up but they didn't understand. They couldn't have understood. I didn't even call out of work, I just didn't show up. I was inconsolable for days so I can't even imagine how bad it affected the people who knew him more personally than I. That's why I, Redskins Nation, the Taylor family, the whole DMV area, and I'm sure the entire NFL, can't wait until justice is finally served.
Where were you?