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I am the M'bah a'Flyers Fan ! -
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good articles about the ridiculously cruel and unfair and UNINFORMED media coverage
Instead of resting in peace, Taylor is torn to pieces - CBSSports.com
Unanswered questions with hasty conclusions -- baltimoresun.comComment
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Mourners recall football star; funeral Monday
As Sean Taylor's funeral arrangements were set for Monday, his family flew to Washington to talk to teammates and Miami Gulliver Prep honored their former star.
Posted on Thu, Nov. 29, 2007Digg del.icio.us AIM reprint print email
BY SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN, MANNY NAVARRO AND EVAN S. BENN
sdegnan@MiamiHerald.com
PATRICK FARRELL/MIAMI HERALD STAFF
Roses frame Sean Taylor's former Gulliver jersey at a memorial Wednesday.
Gulliver Prep remembers Taylor
Special section | Sean Taylor 1983-2007
Miami-Dade police vow to find Taylor's killer
Media has failed with Taylor coverage
What they're writing about Sean Taylor
What they're saying about Sean Taylor
Dolphins' Carey: Taylor was a real competitor
Andy Garcia: Taylor saved niece's life
Police have no suspect in Taylor killing
Video | Gulliver mourns Taylor
FUNERAL SERVICE
• When/where: 11 a.m. Monday at Pharmed Arena on FIU's University Park campus, 11200 SW Eighth St. Open to the public. Many former UM players, as well as the entire Redskins organization and other NFL players, are expected to attend.
• Candlelight vigil: 6 p.m. Sunday outside UM's BankUnited Center. Open to the public.
• What about Sean Taylor's life insurance?
A $600,000 life insurance policy will go not to Taylor's girlfriend, Jackie Garcia, or their daughter, but to one of his sisters, the NFL confirmed Wednesday.
• How have former teammates taken the news?
The Ravens' Ed Reed was particularly close with Taylor (they played on UM's 2001 championship team), and was devastated by the news. Ravens officials tried to contact Reed Tuesday, the team's day off, but he would not pick up his phone.
A public funeral service for slain Washington Redskins player Sean Taylor, a former All-American safety at the University of Miami, is set for 11 a.m. Monday -- at Florida International University.
The choice of venue immediately elicited questions from fans and mourners about why the service, which is expected to be attended by thousands, won't be at Taylor's alma mater.
A UM representative said the BankUnited Center on the school's Coral Gables campus will be occupied through Tuesday with basketball games and preparation for a Republican presidential debate.
''The building is unavailable,'' UM representative Mark Pray said. ``It's regrettable we couldn't do it.''
FIU officials said Taylor's family then requested the funeral be held at FIU. The service will be at the Pharmed Arena on the school's University Park campus in West Miami-Dade. The school's athletics director, Pete Garcia, spent 16 years at UM before going to FIU and knew Taylor from his days as a Hurricane.
Arizona Cardinals running back Edgerrin James, one of many former UM players planning to travel to Miami for the service, said the funeral site was insignificant.
''They could have said it was in another country and the University of Miami players would make sure we're there,'' said James, who will arrive early Monday morning with NFL teammate and former Cane Antrel Rolle. ``Where it is doesn't matter to me. The main thing is being there. This is someone who was big to us, who was one of us.
``This right here is bigger than where it's at. This is about making sure you have a place to attend.''
James said he expected a large UM contingent.
''Everybody is trying to figure out how to get there,'' he said. ``Reggie [Wayne, of the Indianapolis Colts] has the sweetest deal. The owner is giving him his plane. That owner has a big heart, man.''
The entire Redskins organization is planning to attend the funeral, FIU representative Evan Koch said.
The team and front-office staff will fly down after the Redskins' home game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. The Redskins then must turn around for another home game Dec. 6 -- the Thursday after the funeral -- against the Chicago Bears, making the week even more hectic and emotional.
The Redskins announced the NFL will honor Taylor with a moment of silence at this week's games, and all league players will wear a No. 21 sticker -- Taylor's number -- on their helmets.
Taylor's father, Florida City Police Chief Pedro Taylor, flew to Washington to talk with Redskins players, coaches and trainers Wednesday. He was accompanied by his son's girlfriend, Jackie Garcia, and other family members, according to Richard Sharpstein, the family's attorney and spokesman.
Pedro Taylor talked with the team about his son and the love he had for his teammates, and then he returned to South Florida in the afternoon to finalize funeral arrangements here.
EMOTIONAL VISIT
The family's time at Redskins Park was emotional, according to team chaplain Brett Fuller.
'Many of these guys were wondering, `How in the world am I going to go out and do this on Sunday?' '' Fuller told The Associated Press. ``And when Mr. Taylor stood up and said go out and win these next five and make it to the playoffs, we felt a surge in the room, that he almost gave us permission to play well.''
Fuller said Taylor's 10-minute speech was followed by 10 minutes of ``hugs and thank yous.''
Earlier in the day, Miami Gulliver Prep in Pinecrest held a solemn tribute for Taylor, its former star.
Taylor led Gulliver to a state championship and met Jackie Garcia there. Garcia, a niece of actor Andy Garcia, hid under the covers with the couple's daughter as Taylor confronted his killer or killers.
On Wednesday at Gulliver, Taylor's former prep-school bunkmate delivered an emotional tribute to hundreds of students and teachers.
Gregory Bellamy, now the Gulliver defensive line coach, praised Taylor as a humble leader and a good friend, someone who would return to the school at playoff time and give the team pep talks and tips.
''If it weren't for Sean Taylor and his father, I probably wouldn't even have come to Gulliver,'' said Bellamy, 23. ``He was just a good man.''
The tribute took place before classes in a courtyard filled with students in their school uniforms. One student read a poem and the school chorus sang.
Where Bellamy and others spoke, Taylor's jersey was framed on a pedestal. A photograph showed Taylor in his Redskins uniform.
When he was a student at Gulliver Prep, coaches and faculty said Taylor was always thought to be a humble person and team player, despite his star status.
He set a state record for touchdowns his senior season -- 44. But it was his leadership that a former assistant coach on Gulliver's 2000 state championship team said he remembers most.
Gulliver was trailing 21-0 at halftime of the regional quarterfinals against American Heritage, and everyone expected then-coach Steve Howey to give a rousing motivational talk to his players. But it was Taylor who spoke up first.
MOTIVATING FORCE
''Before [the coach] even talked, Sean spoke up and he motivated them . . . and got them going,'' Gulliver assistant principal John McCloskey said. ``I looked at Steve after Sean talked and there was total silence. And Steve just looked at me and said, `What he said! Let's go!'
``We got back on the field and won 24-21.''
One of Taylor's friends from Gulliver, Ivan Mladenovic, 23, said he saw Taylor sitting outside the Beverly Hills Cafe in South Miami six months ago.
''He came over, sat down at my table,'' Mladenovic said. ``Just like a very normal dude. That's why this is very touching.
''He wasn't best friends with everybody, but he was always polite and respectful,'' Mladenovic said. ``Never intimidating or anything like that that you would expect of someone like this.''
He added: ``The way he plays football is completely different from the way he is in person.''Comment
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I have no doubt they will catch the killer(s)..Its about time the Thug Mafia down here gets exposed, the conspiracy will finally crack under this intense national pressure, and perhaps other unsolved crimes/murders will be solved i.e. Pata & Barnes slayings!
Sean Talyor RIP your life WILL NOT BE IN VAIN!!
Miami-Dade police vow to find Taylor's killer
A top police official said the killing of Sean Taylor appears to have stemmed from a random crime -- and vowed to solve it.
Posted on Thu, Nov. 29, 2007Digg del.icio.us AIM reprint print email
By DAVID OVALLE, MANNY NAVARRO, PATRICIA MAZZEI AND OSCAR CORRAL
ocorral@MiamiHerald.com
Lynne Sladky / AP Photo
Investigators work outside the home of Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor in Palmetto Bay, Fla. Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2007. Taylor died early Tuesday one day after being shot shot in his home.
» More Photos
Slide show | Playing career
Special section | Sean Taylor
Blog | Eye on the U
Sign Sean Taylor's Guest Book
Greg Cote's blog | Rest in peace, Sean Taylor
Blog entry | The Sean Taylor I knew
Mourners recall football star; funeral Monday
Media has failed with Taylor coverage
What they're writing about Sean Taylor
What they're saying about Sean Taylor
Dolphins' Carey: Taylor was a real competitor
Andy Garcia: Taylor saved niece's life
Video | Gulliver Schools official reflects on Sean Taylor
Redskins' Taylor dies day after shooting
Redskins owner, coach remember Sean Taylor
Lawyer: Taylor was an 'incredible human being'
Redskins fans: 'It's a complete shock'
Video | Sean Taylor gets a plea deal in 2006
Video | Redskins' Taylor shot
Video | Taylor dead at 24
Video | Sean Taylor mourned
Document | Statement from Taylor's family
Document | Report from Nov. 17 break-in
On the day that Miami-Dade's top cop deemed Sean Taylor's slaying a ''random'' act, his family members were fingerprinted -- to differentiate their prints from any left by the intruder who killed him.
Sean Taylor's 18-year-old brother, Jamal Johnson, and his cousin Emory Williams, 22, were among those to meet with Miami-Dade detectives Wednesday, Williams said.
Miami-Dade Police Director Robert Parker vowed to aggressively pursue the investigation -- but gave a hint of the challenge confronting detectives by appealing to the public for help.
''We feel there is information from members of the public that has not made it yet to law enforcement,'' Parker said.
Parker vowed his detectives will make an arrest, adding: ``There is no reason to think this is anything but a robbery or burglary involving an intruder.''
Not everyone was convinced that Taylor wasn't targeted.
Arizona Cardinals cornerback Antrel Rolle, a friend of Taylor's since they were 6-year-old teammates in South Miami-Dade, told The Associated Press that he believes Taylor had many enemies on the streets of Miami.
''This was not the first incident,'' Rolle said. ``They've been targeting him for three years now. . . . At least, he's got peace now.''
Richard Sharpstein, a prominent South Florida attorney who had represented Taylor, said, ``I'm fairly certain they were burglars -- but they were armed.''
Taylor, a Washington Redskins safety and former University of Miami standout, was shot in the groin in the wee hours on Monday by an intruder who slipped into his home. He died the next morning at Jackson Memorial Hospital.
Taylor's girlfriend, Jackie Garcia, the niece of actor Andy Garcia, hid under the covers with the couple's 18-month-old daughter as Taylor was confronting his killer or killers. Garcia and their daughter were not hurt.
The actor broke the Garcia family's silence by issuing a statement to The Miami Herald.
''Sean was known to many as an extraordinary athlete and an unquestionable teammate,'' Garcia said in the statement issued through his Los Angeles manager, Joanne Colonna. ``To those of us who had the good fortune to count him as a member of our extended family, we will always remember him as a caring, and loving individual especially to his new family, his precious daughter, Jackie, and to the love of his life and mother to his child, my niece Jacqueline.''
Palmetto Bay, an upscale village of about 24,000 people that abuts Biscayne Bay in southern Miami-Dade County, was hit earlier this year by an uptick in burglaries. As of March, there had been 29 burglaries in Palmetto Bay, compared with 23 for the same period the year before, according to information provided to The Miami Herald at the time by former City Manager Charles Scurr.
Police arrested several suspects, including four teenagers, in connection with some of the burglaries, Scurr said.
Village Manager Ron Williams said he did not want to comment until Miami-Dade police released the latest crime statistics for Palmetto Bay.
Mayor Eugene Flinn said the village council's priority is to have police on the road. He said Taylor's burglary was unusual.
''I just don't think you can compare what happened here with a typical burglary,'' he said. ``This was not a typical burglary.''
Miami-Dade police held the news conference at 3:15 p.m. Wednesday, just hours after his former high school, Gulliver Prep in Pinecrest, held a solemn tribute for Taylor.
Taylor led Gulliver to a state championship and met Jackie Garcia there.
Her uncle credited Taylor with saving her life and her child's.
''His heroic action on that tragic night saved their life and is a testament to his humanity and courage,'' Andy Garcia's statement said. ``His spirit will live forever, in our hearts and through the legacy of his achievements and the family he leaves behind.''
Police asked that anyone who might have seen or heard anything to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS or Miami-Dade's homicide office at 305-471-2400.Comment
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way to take a joke. yes it is sad, but **** our soldiers are getting killed every day and nobody says anything about that. why does his story get all the tv time, because he is a football player. I feel real bad for his little girl.Originally posted by GamblinMan03 View PostNFL 0-0 +0.00units
NCAAF 8-10 -9.20unitsComment
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Redskins teammate Portis mourns Taylor: 'I stay out of the locker room'
1 hour ago
ASHBURN, Va. - Sean Taylor's locker has been sealed in Plexiglas. The contents haven't been disturbed, and the stool with his name on it still sits in front.
Clinton Portis can't bear to look at it.
"I stay out of the locker room," Portis said. "My locker is next to his. A lot of guys will be over to the locker and looking up and seeing the picture of Sean. Seeing that locker cased up, seeing that seat sit right there, it's like an emptiness. It's a shock that you can't look up and see him, and won't look up and see him again."
Portis and receiver Santana Moss, the two Redskins players closest to Taylor, and the coach who thought of him as a son spoke publicly Thursday for the first time since the 24-year-old safety was shot to death.
Even as the team inched closer to normalcy with a practice that was livelier than the day before and questions from reporters that actually dealt with football, the comments from Portis, Moss and assistant coach Gregg Williams reinforced how much grieving remains.
"The best way I know how to handle this situation is the way Sean would have handled it," said Moss, who, like Taylor and Portis, attended the University of Miami. "He would have mourned for the moment that we had to mourn, but he would have went out there and laced them up, and played like no other."
The investigation into Taylor's death continued Thursday in Miami, where police have said they suspect Taylor was the victim of a random burglary when he was shot at his home early Monday. Taylor died the next day.
Police also are investigating a possible connection to a Nov. 17 break-in at Taylor's home, but Taylor was such a private man that neither Moss nor Portis knew anything about the first incident.
"That's the type of guy Sean was," Moss said. "You'd never know what was going on with him, good or bad."
Both said it was worth paying attention to Arizona Cardinals cornerback Antrel Rolle, who said Wednesday that he didn't believe Taylor's killing was a random event. Rolle said Taylor had many enemies on the streets of Miami and that "they've been targeting him for three years now."
"Antrel grew up with Sean, he knows the neighbourhood, he knows the people," Portis said. "He'll hear more conversations than you would hear or I would hear. They're still from the same part of town. Maybe he knew something we didn't know. It doesn't matter if people were targeting him or not, but at the same time we need to find who did it."
Portis said he considered wearing Taylor's No. 21 jersey in Sunday's game against the Buffalo Bills but decided against it.
"Time after time I always told you all that he was the best player I've ever seen," Portis said. "For me to put that jersey on, I can't live up to those expectations. I can't be Sean Taylor, so I wouldn't even try."
A public viewing for Taylor is scheduled Sunday in Miami, and the entire Redskins organization plans to fly to Florida to attend the funeral Monday, three days before a game against the Chicago Bears.
In Washington, D.C., some fans brought a "Walking Book of Condolences" to one of the city's poorest neighbourhoods to give fans who couldn't get to Redskins Park a chance to express their condolences.
Willie Mae Cobb, 63, was among those who showed up at the Anacostia Metro station. She brought a poem that she had pasted on red cardboard along with newspaper photos of Taylor. "I really enjoyed his playing, and my heart goes out especially to his baby girl and his girlfriend," Cobb said. "Even though he went through troubles, he came around and all that was behind him," she added.
At Redskins Park, Williams and Moss also shared emotional anecdotes about Taylor. Williams, who often has spoken of the "tough love" he gave Taylor over the years, was often seen getting in Taylor's face on the sidelines.
"He could see me losing it a little," Williams said. "And he would look at me and smile and say, 'Hey, coach that play is over, get on to the next one.' He would immediately put me into 'I have a job to do.' We had a synergy back and forth in those difficult times, but we built that trust and love for each other."
Williams said memories of Taylor have helped him focus on football this week.
"When I got the phone call and was grieving strongly, I felt a presence," he said. "And the presence I felt was 'Coach, that play's over, get onto the next. I'm watching you.' I got a job to do. Get on to the next. He's watching me."
Moss said Taylor had a "different kind of glow" about him last week, particularly on Thanksgiving Day. The usually introverted Taylor went out of his way to wish coaches and teammates a happy holiday and was talking about his 18-month-old daughter.
Moss wondered if Taylor's mood foreshadowed what was about to happen, that Taylor was meant to leave his teammates on an upbeat note.
"It was unusual for Sean," Moss said. "I mean, he was in high spirits. It was almost like when it happened, I thought back on those couple of days. And it was something, like, it was a message right then and there that we didn't see at the time. You never know."Comment
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Taylor wasn't allowed to own a gun due to his prior charges in the ATV case.Originally posted by EddieP View PostComment
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well if thats the case he still could have hired a personal security guard, god knows he had enough money..Comment
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thats great news:beerbang: once they figure out who was the trigger man,he deserves to be hung by his balls and then with one nice clean swipe from a straight razor castrated and left to bleed out,****en bastards:bang: i can do the cutting as i dont have a job right now,just get me there and hand me the razor:thumbs:Originally posted by SuperSkins View PostComment
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Attorney Says 3 Detained In Taylor Investigation
2 Teens, Third Person Being Questioned
POSTED: 11:34 am EST November 30, 2007
UPDATED: 1:04 pm EST November 30, 2007
MIAMI -- An attorney and family friend for Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor said three people have been detained in the Fort Myers area for questioning in connection with his death.
Richard Sharpstein confirmed Friday that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and Miami-Dade police detained two teenagers and a third person, Local 10's Rad Berky reported.
The Miami Herald reported that investigators believe the three learned of Taylor's house through someone who unwittingly set up the burglary by bragging about his wealth. The newspaper reported their ages as being 17, 19 and 26.
Investigators removed a large amount of physical evidence from Taylor's Palmetto Bay home after he was shot early Monday morning. Berky has learned that evidence can place the two or three people in the house.
Miami-Dade police spokeswoman Lt. Nancy Perez would only confirm that homicide detectives are in Fort Myers, but she would not say why.
Taylor's mother on Thursday said she has her own ideas about the death of her son but prefers to keep them to herself and let the police investigation play out.
"It's very hard to say," said Donna Junor. "But I have some thoughts in my mind."
Many of Taylor's family members gathered at the small house in Homestead where he spent much of his time growing up. Junor seemed to show her frustration with the attention focused on Taylor's past brushes with the law when asked about statements that having a young daughter had changed him.
"He was not exactly a bad person, so I don't see where he was turning his life around because of a baby," she said.
Taylor died early Tuesday morning, one day after he was shot in his home during a random burglary, Miami-Dade Police Department Director Robert Parker said.
"There is some information that is known by members of the public and we believe that information hasn't reached law enforcement," said Parker.
Funeral services will be held at the Pharmed Arena at Florida International University on Monday, Dec. 3, at 11 a.m. The services are open to the public, but seating is limited.
At a news conference Wednesday, Parker said there are no suspects because there were no witnesses who could give police a description of the person or people responsible for the killing, but he urged anyone with information to call police or Crime Stoppers.
Parker also said that there were no indications that Taylor was targeted or knew his assailant.
"There is nothing thus far in the investigation that indicates that there was an involvement on the victim's part," said Parker.
Local 10's Rad Berky reported that investigators are focusing their attention on the friends, or more likely, friends of friends of Taylor, who may have visited the NFL star's home.
Parker said evidence indicates that one or more intruders barged into Taylor's home. Parker called it "a random event" and said police are looking at the home as a "bona fide" crime scene.
But on Tuesday, Richard Sharpstein, an attorney speaking on behalf of Taylor's family, said the shooting was not random.
"There are too many coincidences," said Sharpstein. "It's clear this house was targeted."
Recreating Events
Sharpstein said Taylor, his girlfriend and Taylor's 18-month-old daughter were in the bedroom of Taylor's home when Taylor heard noises in the living room.
Sharpstein said Taylor went to investigate and was carrying a machete that he keeps in the bedroom. The intruder kicked in the door and then shot twice, hitting Taylor once in the leg, the attorney said. Taylor lost a significant amount of blood because the bullet hit his femoral artery, Sharpstein said.
Miami-Dade police went to Taylor's home at 18050 Old Cutler Road in Palmetto Bay after receiving a call from a woman around 1:30 a.m. Investigators later identified the woman as Taylor's girlfriend, Jackie Garcia. Garcia is the niece of actor Andy Garcia and the mother of Taylor's daughter, also named Jackie.
Monday's break-in was at least the second for Taylor in less than two weeks. Taylor's home was ransacked and items were stolen on Nov. 17, Sharpstein said.
Taylor had closed the storm shutters on his home after the earlier break-in. During that entry, someone made his or her way through a front window, according to a police report. The house was ransacked and there was damage to an air conditioning duct in the bathroom, where someone may have believed there was something hidden, Berky reported. A kitchen knife was left on the bed, according to the police report, but it wasn't until after Taylor was killed that police began to analyze evidence collected from the first break-in, Berky reported.
"We have no reason to think that this was anything but a burglary or a robbery involving an intruder," said Parker.
He also said police are looking for more than one person and hoped an arrest would be made "shortly, in short order."
Meanwhile, Junor said she was thankful of Taylor and Garcia for her "beautiful granddaughter, and I want to enjoy her for the time."
"Whoever took him doesn't understand what they took from us," said Taylor's cousin, Nicole Matthews.
Taylor's Background, Playing Career
Taylor played football at the University of Miami, where he was a member of the 2001 national championship team as a freshman. In his final season with the Hurricanes in 2003, Taylor was a consensus first-team All-American and named Big East Conference defensive player of the year. He was also a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, given to the nation's best defensive back.
He left school early and became the first UM player selected in the 2004 NFL draft when the Redskins picked him fifth overall.
Last June, Taylor agreed to a plea bargain in court on charges that he brandished a weapon at people he suspected had stolen some all-terrain vehicles from his South Florida home. Taylor agreed to 18 months of probation.
Taylor was in his fourth season with the Redskins. He led the team with five interceptions but missed the last two games with a knee injury. The 212-pound safety played in his first Pro Bowl in 2006.Comment
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This is good news. I hope this means we are close to getting the killer(s).NCAAF: 50-39-5 (+6.35 units)
NFL: 36-35-6 (-2.00 units)
NHL: 4-8-0 (-2.80 units)
NCAAB: 7-4 (+1.75 units)Comment
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i hope this turns out to be true.... colin coward and the rest of ESPN will have some serious crow to eat....
they should all be fired for lack of journalistic integrityComment
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dude- does buying gear make you part of the investigating team as well now?.....:beer2:Originally posted by GamblinMan03 View PostI am the M'bah a'Flyers Fan !Comment
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