We set the record straight on the legacy of Sean Taylor, who could have been one of the all-time NFL greats

By: Payton Woolsey

As another NFL season nears, it’s often a time I reminisce on my beloved list of all-time greats.

Priest Holmes, LaDainian Tomlinson, Shaun Alexander, Brian Urlacher, Troy Polamalu. None of them hit harder than Sean Taylor. Figuratively and literally. And, none are more misunderstood.

A product of the University of Miami or ‘The U,’ Taylor had a knack for hitting the absolute shit out of people. He is responsible for three of Terrell Owens‘ five NFL concussions.

Taylor was highly recruited across the country for being an offensive threat as well. If you ever want to see a guy single-handedly win a state championship, then watch his final high school game.

Dude could pound the rock. But he was meant to defend. He had people scared to run routes across the middle in fear of a blind hit.

In college, people would stop mid-route when entering Taylor’s area, which turned out to be everywhere. I don’t blame them.

This man played with such a brute and total disregard for personal safety. He played mad and appeared to be full of rage when he hit.

All too well remembered is his absolute fucking truck sticking of a turtleneck-wearing punter during the Pro Bowl.

An absolute physical specimen, Taylor seemed bound to don a golden jacket. Then, tragedy struck.

Three individuals broke into Taylor’s house in Miami, Flordia. He catches them in the act and merely asks what they were doing. The intruders, being the no good, absolute scum of the earth that they were; had a gun.

A shot rings out. Taylor gets shot in the leg, and an artery is hit. A hair left or right and the man is okay. Instead, he would later die that night.

Doctors said that he wasn’t sure how he made it to the hospital in the first place. They would give the man blood, and it would pour out of his leg faster than they could get it into him.

He fought like a son of a bitch for hours. The absolute will to live must have been incredible. He and his girlfriend had just given birth to a baby girl. I’m sure in Sean’s mind that image was front and center.

The days following were an absolute disservice to who he was as a man. They brought up past off the field issues; which, by the way, was nothing more than Sean confronting people in possession of his stolen four-wheeler.

The facts were never provided, only caveman, ignorant, toxic, dipshit opinions. Furthermore, Taylor was the only person charged with anything once authority’s arrived. How relevant to today’s NFL situation?

The Washington Redskins lost a great one, and they knew it.

One of the most emotional plays I’ve ever seen was the first play the following game — following Taylor’s death.

The Redskins run a play with 10 players on the field — leaving Sean’s spot open. The crowd erupts.

A defender jacks the ball carrier. It was a genuinely Taylor-worthy hit.

If that moment, even to this day doesn’t give you chills and make you feel something, you are a dead soul.

The heart and love this man showed fans was never considered nor his caring for humanity in general. It was written off as a ‘thug getting a thugs death.’

Yes, a college educated man who was born into a shithole of a situation which made it out, and willed his dreams into reality. You couldn’t do it. I couldn’t do it. Sean did that shit. He died, fighting for his life the same way he had fought during his entire life.

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Nothing but a thug in the media’s eyes. They trashed and disgraced this man. Shame on ESPN. Shame on Fox Sports and everything in between.

I hope the entrance to the pearly gates depends on those very people making a catch. And I hope Sean Taylor is covering them, waiting to deliver a vicious hit.