Sean Taylor was born on April 1, 1983, in Miami, Florida. At the age of 3, his parents divorced. So, his father and stepmother, Josephine Taylor, in the Richmond Heights area of Miami-Dade County, primarily raised him. Sean played high school football at Gulliver Preparatory School, where he participated as running back on offense and defensive back and linebacker on defense. He helped Gulliver win the Florida Class 2A State Championship in 2000. Also, he played college football at the University of Miami, where he was an All-American. In 2004, Sean Taylor was the NFL 's No. 5 draft pick, joining the Washington Redskins. Following his selection by the Redskins, Taylor signed a seven-year, $18 million contract with the team. Over his first three seasons, he was fined at least seven times for late hits, uniform violations and other …show more content…
“You can’t be scared of death. When that time comes it comes.” Sean Taylor died on November 27, 2007, one day after being shot inside his Miami house by intruders. Sean, his girlfriend, Jackie Garcia, and their newborn daughter were in their master bedroom early on, when they heard a noise in the living room. He grabbed what Sharpstein described as "a machete or something of that sort” and was heading toward the bedroom door when someone burst through and opened fire with a pistol. The baby, who was in a crib, and Taylor 's girlfriend, who was hiding under the bed sheets, were not harmed. Among those who paid their respects at his funeral were Jesse Jackson, the NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and former football star O.J. Simpson, who said Taylor "was just a great athlete." His Washington Redskins teammates wore patches on their jerseys and stickers on their helmets with Taylor 's number, 21. Four young men, aged 17 to 20, were accused of killing Taylor. Pedro Taylor, Sean’s father, said, "I think one day he 'll come to grips with himself and say, 'You know what, it was senseless ' and he 'll turn himself in."