The late Sean (Shawn) Taylor (April 1, 1983-November 27, 2007) will be remembered as a free safety for the NFL Washington Redskins. Nicknamed “Meast” – half man, half beast, he was fondly remembered for his hard hitting, which had led the University of Miami to a 2001 national championship.
Thousands of mourners attended his funeral at the Florida International University Pharmed Arena. Taylor, 24, died following critical gunshot wounds during a burglary attempt at his Miami home. He had been an outstanding high school and college athlete. He played three years at University of Miami before being selected in 2004 as a first draft pick by the Washington Redskins. He signed a seven-year, $18 million contract.
Taylor played well for most of his contract, but drew fines for missing a mandatory rookie symposium in 2004, and at least seven late hits, uniform violations and other infractions including spitting in the face of Buccaneer running back, Michael Pittman. He also had some brushes with the law (drunk driving, armed assault) before getting his life back on track in 2007.
Taylor was the father of an 18-month old daughter, Jackie, and also lived with his girlfriend Jackie Garcia. Suspects in the burglary/murder were arrested. Trial is scheduled to begin August 25, 2008. Suspects, if convicted, will face life imprisonment since one individual was only 17 at the time of the incident. The first of the five suspects, Venjah Hunte, has accepted a plea bargain and is serving a prison term of 29 years.
