NFL Fans Criticize Washington Commanders UnderWhelming Memorial to Honor Sean Taylor
The NFL is full of historic moments and historic figures. These days it seems like every franchise has a moment or person that embodies the franchise and what they stand for. Manny NFL franchises have memorials of these iconic moments and players to remember what they did for their organization. For example, the Cardinals have a statue of Pat Tilman outside of their stadium to remember the life of their great safety who lost his life serving in the United States Military. The Saints have a statue of Steve Gleason and his iconic blocked punt against the Atlanta Falcons that represent the revival of a city and the franchise. These memorials are just a few examples of how teams show their gratitude.
The Washington Commanders decided it was time to show their love and respect for the late great Sean Taylor. Taylor was known as a hard-hitting safety for the formerly-named Red Skins. Taylor was drafted in 2004 and quickly became one of the best young defensive players in the NFL. He was named to his first pro-bowl in 2006 and was on his way to another in 2007, but tragedy would strike. On November 27, 2007, Sean Taylor was shot and killed in his own home in what was an attempted robbery gone wrong. Yesterday marked 15 years since Taylor's tragic death.
The Commanders have always done their best to honor Taylor throughout the years as they wore helmet stickers with the number 21 and even spray-painted his number on the field multiple times. The team decided it was time to do more as they planned to unveil a memorial in honor of Taylor, but it wasn't what fans were expecting at all.
The memorial was nothing more than a faceless mannequin with wires for arms and legs dressed in a Sean Taylor Jersey. Some fans defended the memorial saying that team took their time with the little details by including the same style of soccer cleats and gloves that Taylor always wore, but other fans are not buying it. Many fans across the NFL are angry that Taylor wasn't given an actual statue.
I would like to point out that Taylor's family was present for the ceremony and took the time to show their appreciation for the memorial. Here is a video of Taylor's daughter expressing how she feels about her dad's memorial.
Fans and experts around the league still aren't happy with the way the commanders decided to honor Taylor. I for one agree with the majority here. There is no reason an NFL franchise can't go the extra mile to honor one of their most iconic and beloved players with an actual statue. It just looks cheap and shows a lack of effort in my opinion. What do think of the Commander's memorial to Sean Taylor?