RIP Sean Taylor

Sean Taylor, 24, safety for the Washington Redskins, passed away early this morning from complications stemming from a shooting in his Florida home early Monday morning. It seems like just yesterday that we were writing about another young athlete passing away far too soon--Eddie Griffin. It was also only about a year ago that Denver Broncos defensive back Darrent Williams was fatally shot following an argument outside of a night club in Denver. I really hope that this isn't going to become a pattern or a trend in professional sports.

Now I know the grieving for Mr. Taylor has just begun, but the circumstances surrounding his death need to be mentioned and looked at both for clarity and as a warning for all young, professional athletes.

Originally, police were saying that this was a suspected armed robbery. But the more details that come out, the more this looks like a planned murder. Taylor's house was broken into just 8 days prior to his death and there were signs (a knife) that something bad would have happened if he had been home. There's also the fact that the person who broke into his house on Monday did not steal anything, nor did he harm Taylor's girlfriend or infant child. Seems like something sketchy was going down.

I think many young athletes need to seriously follow the investigation that will be done to see what exactly the reason was behind this suspicious activity. They (and all people for that matter) need to be very careful about the company they keep and the activities they are involved in. If even one person changes their life because of this story, then Taylor did not die in vain. If not, then we may be headed towards a very scary pattern in professional sports.