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Sean Taylor has been charged with assault with a firearm
Richmond.com
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
The Washington Commanders have a problem on their hands. That problem's name is Sean Taylor. Washington dropped the number five pick on him in last year's draft hoping the former Miami Hurricane would turn into the next Ronnie Lott, and on the field in just his first season Taylor showed those flashes. Now, if there was only a way for the Skins to keep him on the field all year long.
Two weeks ago, Taylor was charged with simple battery and aggravated assault with a firearm in Dade County, Florida in a dispute over some off-road vehicles. This begs a few questions:
Why was Sean Taylor not at Commander Park for voluntary workouts with the rest of his team getting ready for the upcoming season? If you ask his agent Drew Rosenhaus he'll tell you his client can get ready in Florida just fine and that also his client needs a new deal to compensate for his great athletic ability.
Ask Rosenhaus why his client has a gun and is involved in a situation that has him charged with a serious crime and he'll tell you he has no idea of his client's whereabouts or why he did that. Seeing as how Rosenhaus has a GPS tracker on every player in the NFL just in case he can get them to sign with him, funny he had no idea about Taylor.
And why didn't he advise his client to hire a bodyguard or call the police. Could it be that Rosenhaus always distances himself from trouble? Taylor, on the other hand, doesn't. He seeks it out.
Last season Taylor was charged with a DUI. The charges came after he refused to take a breathalyzer test. Those charges were dismissed though. But this is also the guy who did not return phone calls from his head coach Joe Gibbs this off-season until he ran into the law.
Gibbs had asked repeatedly that he participate with the team in off-season workouts. But now Gibbs' message is to stay away until all legal problems are sorted out. Gibbs said that Sean Taylor was the most researched pick the team has ever had. What one has to question is, what did they check on?
Sean Taylor grew up in a rough neighborhood where more kids owned a gun than a football. But he doesn't need street cred anymore, he needs to be a professional and his judgment off the field has raised questions if he will be around long enough to turn into that great player…like say, Baltimore Raven and former Miami Hurricane Ray Lewis. After being involved in a serious crime, Lewis has become one of the NFL's model citizens.
Can the Commanders count on their young player to figure that out on his own? If he can't the team can't put up with him much longer. Washington has enough distractions with Dan Snyder owning the team. Having players causing headaches is something Gibbs doesn't need right now.
Now I wonder what the Commanders can do to stop Taylor's behavior, and the answer is nothing. They can't cut him because Taylor counts too much against the cap and he will be signed by some other team ten seconds after his release.
The Skins can fine him, but what is money to Taylor? Plus, the NFL Players Association won't let the fine be too outrageous. The team can't hire a babysitter, even though that might be the only way to keep him out of trouble and even that is no guarantee that Taylor stays out of trouble.
No, all the Skins can do is cross their fingers and hope that Taylor wises up. Considering most of today's athletes learn they can get away with anything, it's possible Taylor won't come around until he is wearing another uniform. The Commanders in their current salary cap situation can't afford to see that happen.
