Click On The Video Below To See Sean Taylor's Big Hit during last year's Pro Bowl.
Pro Bowl safety Sean Taylor died Tuesday after he was shot in his home by an apparent intruder, leaving the Washington Redskins in mourning for a teammate who seemed to have reordered his life since becoming a father.
The 24-year-old player died at Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he had been airlifted after the shooting early Monday.
"It is with deep regret that a young man had to come to his end so soon," father Pedro Taylor said in a statement on behalf of the family. "Many of his fans loved him because the way he played football. Many of his opponents feared him the way he approached the game. Others misunderstood him, many appreciated him and his family loved him."
A string of mourners, including Taylor's father, visited the player's home and embraced outside. Authorities entered the home, but it was unclear what they were doing.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the league will honor Taylor's memory at all games this weekend.
Redskins coach Joe Gibbs said what he would remember most about Taylor was his excitement about playing football.
"God made him to play football," Gibbs said Tuesday during a news conference. "To me, he just loved and thrived on the competition part of it. ... Sean, he loved football. He loved these guys here."
Gibbs acknowledged it will be hard to concentrate on football this week.
"I don't know how we'll deal with it, except we'll all do it together," he said.
Fans already had begun a makeshift memorial by laying flowers on a field near the front entrance to the Redskins' practice facility in Ashburn, Va.
"This is a terrible, terrible tragedy," Redskins owner Daniel Snyder said.
He added the team would honor Taylor with a patch on the jersey and the No. 21 on the helmet.
Taylor's death comes nearly a year after Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams was killed in a drive-by shooting following an argument at a Denver nightclub on Jan. 1. University of Miami defensive lineman Bryan Pata was shot to death in November 2006 several miles from Taylor's home in an unsolved killing.
Doctors had been encouraged late Monday when Taylor squeezed a nurse's hand, according to Vinny Cerrato, the Redskins' vice president of football operations. But family friend Richard Sharpstein said he was told Taylor never regained consciousness after being taken to the hospital.
Taylor, the fifth overall pick in the 2004 NFL draft following an All-American season at Miami, was shot early Monday in the upper leg, damaging the key femoral artery and causing significant blood loss.
Sean Taylor leaves behind his girlfriend and 18 month old daughter.
This Is a Very Sad Time for the Taylor Family & Friends, The Washington Redskins, the NFL, and all Football Fans. Rest In Peace, Sean Taylor. You will be missed.
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