Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor died after being shot by an apparent intruder.  And it is indeed quite a shame.  I’m not just saying that because I’m a huge football fan.  And no, I don’t allow my enjoyment of football to taint or slant the importance I put on people such as NFL players.  It would be a shame whether he was a ditch digger or a Pro Bowl NFL player.  I guess we just probably wouldn’t have known his name if he was a ditch digger.  I got to see Sean Taylor play against me beloved Packers earlier this year and he did have talent that stood out even amongst the rest of the players on the field.  But, that’s not why this is sad.

The young man was only 24.  He had made a great many off the field mistakes early on in his career, and was viewed by some as a malcontent.  By most, he was viewed as a guy with a lot of talent that just didn’t have his priorities straight.  Well, to be honest, I didn’t have my priorities straight when I was in my early 20’s either.  However, Sean Taylor had seemed to turn his life around.  He had become a much better person off the field — or at least what the general public was allowed to see — as he matured.  Friends claim it was the birth of his child that changed him.  As a father, I totally get that.  Kids have a way of forcing you to reevaluate your priorities.

It’s a shame that a man who turned his life around, didn’t get a chance to reap the benefits of those decisions.  It’s a shame that a 1 year old child has to grow up not ever knowing the father that thought the world of them.  It’s a shame he doesn’t get to enjoy more of the benefits of fatherhood as your child grows up.  It’s a shame the world lost a productive member of society to senseless violence.  It’s a shame whenever someone is lost to senseless violence, and it always will be.