Sean Taylor
The autopsy report of Sean Taylor — Washington Redskins safety, 1983–2007.
Early Life
Sean Michael Taylor was born April 1, 1983, in Miami, Florida, the son of Pedro Taylor — the longtime police chief of Florida City — and Donna Junor. Raised in South Florida, he attended Gulliver Preparatory School in Pinecrest, where he became one of the most decorated high school football players in state history. As a senior he set a Florida record with 44 touchdowns playing running back, while also starring at defensive back, and he ran track in the 100 meters. Rivals already called him “Meast” — half man, half beast.
Taylor took his talents to the University of Miami, where from 2001 to 2003 he developed into the most feared defensive back in college football. He helped the Hurricanes capture the 2001 national championship, and as a junior in 2003 he won the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation's best defensive back, earned unanimous All-American honors, and was named the Big East Defensive Player of the Year. He left Miami after that season as one of the most heralded safety prospects ever.
NFL Career
The Washington Redskins selected Taylor fifth overall in the 2004 NFL Draft, and he started 15 games as a rookie, intercepting four passes and earning a spot on the all-rookie team. Wearing No. 21, he quickly built a reputation as the hardest-hitting safety in the league — a player whose closing speed and punishing tackles made receivers think twice about crossing the middle.
Taylor was voted to the Pro Bowl after the 2006 season, and in that game he delivered one of its most famous moments, leveling Bills punter Brian Moorman on a fake punt. He was off to the finest season of his career in 2007 — five interceptions in just nine games before a knee injury sidelined him — and he was later named posthumously to the 2008 Pro Bowl, the only player on that roster who had not played a full season. Teammates and opponents alike spoke of a player just entering his prime, a generational talent at safety.
The Death
On November 26, 2007, Taylor was at his home in Palmetto Bay, Florida, recovering from the knee injury that had kept him out of the Redskins' previous two games. Around 1:45 a.m., intruders forced their way into the house. Taylor confronted them with a machete and was shot once in the upper leg; the bullet severed his femoral artery. His girlfriend, Jackie Garcia, hid with their 18-month-old daughter Jackie while Taylor, gravely wounded, told her to stay hidden and call for help.
Taylor was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, where he underwent emergency surgery and lost a massive amount of blood. He died on November 27, 2007, at the age of 24. Investigators determined that a group of young men — at least one of whom had attended a birthday party at Taylor's home and believed cash was inside — had broken in a week earlier and returned that night. Five men were eventually charged; the shooter, Eric Rivera Jr., was convicted of second-degree murder in 2013 and sentenced to 57-and-a-half years in prison, while his accomplices took plea deals.
Taylor's funeral was held December 3, 2007, at Florida International University's Pharmed Arena before thousands of mourners, including the entire Redskins team. He is buried in Miami. Washington has not issued his No. 21 to another player since his death, and his locker at the team facility was preserved in his memory.