Disbelief

There are a lot of unexpected tragedies in life. In fact, last week was the 10th year anniversary of the death of INXS lead man Michael Hutchence. While INXS had already peaked long before he died, as opposed to the stereotypical parody of the aging rocker Hutchence was still quite a charasmatic performer with spark. While he left behind a young daughter he certainly departed already having left his mark on the world...

I woke up this morning to the news that Sean Taylor, the best defensive player for the Washington Redskins (my favourite football team) was dead. He had been shot yesterday in the leg near the groin area, had lost a lot of blood (the bullet grazed a major artery), was air-lifted to the hospital, and was in a coma. However, when doctors attempted to solicit a response from Taylor, he squeezed a nearby person's hand. I went to bed optimistic that he would be OK, and hoped he would not be brain damaged from the loss of blood. When I turned on the TV this morning from my California hotel bed, news of his death was all over the headlines.

Taylor had only been in the league for 4 years, but forged a reputation as "The Reaper" for putting the hardest hits on opposing players. In sport which rewards combined bursts of energy/skill, he was one of the finest athletes I had seen in terms of the defensive plays he could make (there are numerous highlight reels of him on YouTube). He could intercept when he dropped back in coverage, hit as hard as a linebacker (often causing a turnover) and could also effectively blitz the quarterback. Speed, power, finesse.

He had a number of on-field and off-field incidents early in his career, but had made major strides in maturity over the last 18 months after becoming a father. Sadly, he had barely made his mark on what he was capable of in the NFL (Hall of Fame potential), as well as what he could achieve in life as a father and husband (Taylor had plan to marry the mother of his daughter).

It's strange that you can feel this depth of sadness for a person you have never actually met. Mike Wise uses the perfect word in his Washington Post column: disbelief.

RIP Sean. For me personally, this is by far the saddest day in the history of sports.