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| Due to his ferocious style of hitting, his teammates have nicknamed him "Meast". This a reference to him being "half-man, half beast. | Due to his ferocious style of hitting, his teammates have nicknamed him "Meast". This a reference to him being "half-man, half beast. | ||
| ==Early years== | ==Early years== | ||
| As a child he was beaten with a stick and whipped for his imputance. Once he said to a fellow friend, "you bring the crowns and heads of conquered kings to my city steps, you insult my queen, you threaten my people with slavery and death, oh ive chosen my words carefully persian, perhaps you shoudl've done the same." after that he kicked his friend down a well and something snapped in his head and out of nowhere became the nastiest NFL saftey to play the game. His father Lawrence supplied him with cocaine and steroids. Sean swindled crack as a young lad, and his best friend growing up was an imaginary friend named Arnold. | |||
| ==Gulliver Preparatory School== | ==Gulliver Preparatory School== | ||
| Taylor played high school football at Miami's Gulliver Preparatory School where he helped Gulliver win the Florida Class 2A State Championship in 2000. At Gulliver, he was a star on both sides of the ball, playing ] (on offense) and ] and ] (on defense). | Taylor played high school football at Miami's Gulliver Preparatory School where he helped Gulliver win the Florida Class 2A State Championship in 2000. At Gulliver, he was a star on both sides of the ball, playing ] (on offense) and ] and ] (on defense). | ||
Revision as of 12:51, 5 October 2007
American football player | |
| Washington Redskins | |
|---|---|
| Career information | |
| College: | University of Miami |
| NFL draft: | 2004 / round: 1 / pick: 5 |
| Career history | |
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
Stats at Pro Football Reference  | |
Sean Michael Taylor (born April 1, 1983 in Miami, Florida) is an American football player who currently plays free safety for the Washington Redskins of the NFL. Due to his ferocious style of hitting, his teammates have nicknamed him "Meast". This a reference to him being "half-man, half beast.
Early years
Gulliver Preparatory School
Taylor played high school football at Miami's Gulliver Preparatory School where he helped Gulliver win the Florida Class 2A State Championship in 2000. At Gulliver, he was a star on both sides of the ball, playing running back (on offense) and defensive back and linebacker (on defense).
High school statistics
In 2000, Taylor rushed for 1,300 yards and a state-record 44 touchdowns. On two separate occasions, Taylor rushed for more than 200 yards during Gulliver’s state playoff run. He also racked up more than 100 tackles during the 2000 season and accounted for three touchdowns (two receiving, one rushing) in the state title game victory over Marianna.
Taylor was considered the No. 7 prospect in Dade County by the Miami Herald and rated the nation’s No. 18 skill athlete and an All-American by SuperPrep. He was also an Orlando Sentinel Super Southern Team selection, the No. 1 athlete on the Florida Times-Union Super 75 list, and rated the No. 14 player in Florida by the Gainesville Sun.
Taylor began his High School football career at 6A Miami Killian Senior HS, but left to Gulliver 2A where he could play both offense and defense. He is remembered at Gulliver by a plaque in the academy cafeteria
College career
University of Miami
In 2001, he was one of just four true freshmen to play for Miami in the 2001 national championship season, carving a niche for himself in Miami's secondary in nickel and dime coin packages. Taylor was named "Big East Special Teams Player" of the Week for his performance against the University of Pittsburgh.
In 2002, Taylor was a second-team All-Big East selection by the league's head coaches in his first season as a starter. He finished third on the team in tackles with 85 (53 solos), broke up 15 passes, intercepted four passes, forced one fumble, blocked a kick and returned a punt for a touchdown. He led all defensive backs in tackles, interceptions and passes broken up and had a career-high 11 tackles (two solos) and intercepted two passes in the Fiesta Bowl loss to Ohio State University.
During his final year at Miami, Taylor produced a historic season that culminated with a plethora of honors and awards. He was a named a consensus first-team All-American, the "Big East Conference Defensive Player of the Year" and a finalist for the "Jim Thorpe Award" given to the nation's best defensive back. He led the Big East Conference and ranked first nationally in interceptions per game (0.83) with 10, tying the record for interceptions in a season held by former hurricane standout Bennie Blades. He finished third in total tackles with 77 (57 solos). He intercepted two passes in Miami's impressive 28-14 win over Pittsburgh, playing a key role as the Hurricanes limited All-American receiver Larry Fitzgerald to three receptions for 26 yards. He returned interceptions for an average of 18.4 yards, including a 67-yard touchdown return at Boston College, a 50-yard scoring runback at Florida State, and a 44-yard scoring runback against Rutgers. His three TD returns of interceptions is a Miami single-season record.
NFL career
2004 NFL Draft
Taylor was the first University of Miami player drafted in the 2004 NFL Draft, being selected fifth overall.
Washington RedskinsFollowing his 2004 selection by the Redskins, Taylor signed a seven-year, $18 million contract with the team. Shortly thereafter, fellow Redskin LaVar Arrington hit Taylor in the face with a shaving cream pie during a media interview as a ritual rookie hazing. 2004 rookie seasonOn the field during the 2004 season, Taylor was successful, emerging as the Redskins' starting free safety by the third game of his rookie season. For the season, he had the team's second most interceptions, with four. In addition to his four interceptions, Taylor had 89 tackles, two forced fumbles and one sack. He started for the Redskins in 13 of the season's 16 games. Taylor's short NFL career, however, has been overshadowed somewhat by controversy. He has fired two of his agents, walked out of a mandatory NFL rookie symposium for which he was fined, and was accused of spitting on Cincinnati Bengals player, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who later called Taylor "a punk," during a 2004 game at FedEx Field. However, after an investigation, the NFL found nothing to substantiate the spitting allegation. 2005 seasonTaylor continued his effective play in the 2005 season, finishing with 70 tackles, 1 sack, 2 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 fumble returned for a touchdown. In this year he became recognized as one of the hardest hitters in the NFL. Taylor, along with fellow University of Miami and Redskins' teammate Clinton Portis, was fined $5,000 in the home game against the Philadelphia Eagles for violating the NFL dress code by wearing socks that did not match the Redskins' standard uniform. Portis was fined even more for further infractions. Taylor had ups and downs during a January 7, 2006 wild card game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Although he scored a touchdown that proved to be the Redskins' margin of victory, he was ejected after spitting at running back Michael Pittman. He was subsequently fined $17,000, the amount of his game check. 2006 seasonThe 2006 season was arguably the most inconsistent of Taylor's career. He finished the year leading the Redskins' defense with 129 tackles, 1 interception and 3 forced fumbles. However, Taylor missed numerous tackles in his attempts to knock the ballcarrier out and was exposed in coverage on several occasions too. Some backers of Taylor might say this was the culmination of Taylor being forced to make tackles near the line of scrimmage to help the struggling Redskins defensive rush unit. He also did not have a fellow safety to go along with him for most of the year, and struggled to make plays when he was stretched too thin. Taylor had his best game of the season in week 12 against the Carolina Panthers. Though he played well all game, his presence was felt most sharply in the final minutes, making a key 4th-down tackle and intercepting a Jake Delhomme pass to seal the victory. He earned NFL Defensive Player of the Week honors following the game. Even while playing on a struggling Redskins defensive unit, Taylor's impact on the field was recognized when he was named a first alternate to the NFC's 2007 Pro Bowl team. When the first choice for safety, Brian Dawkins of the Philadelphia Eagles, chose not to play in the Pro Bowl due to an injury, Taylor was named to the vacated spot, marking his first Pro Bowl appearance. During the Pro Bowl, on a rudimentary special teams play, punt kicker Brian Moorman (Buffalo Bills) of the AFC conference decided to snap the ball and run on 4th down to try to pick up 3 yards and a 1st down. Taylor came from about 30 yards out of the defensive backfield and completely leveled Moorman horizontally, a play which became the hit of the game, and allowing the fans to realize that he was indeed a monster. In an act of good sportsmanship and respect after he took the hit, Moorman raced to midfield to congratulate Sean Taylor for making the big play. Legal troubleDUI arrestOn October 27, 2004, Taylor was arrested at 2:45am for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol following a birthday party for former Redskins' receiver Rod Gardner. A Fairfax County, Virginia judge later acquitted Taylor of the charges in March 2005, after viewing a videotape of Taylor's roadside sobriety tests that, according to the judge, failed to demonstrate obvious intoxication. Taylor was, however, convicted for refusing to take a blood alcohol test requested of him by a Virginia state police officer. However, when this case was heard on appeal in March 2005, Taylor was acquitted of refusing to take a BAC test, due to lack of probable cause for the request. Missing 2005 Redskins mini-campIn May, 2005, Taylor, seeking a new contract with the Redskins, was the only Redskin who refused to appear for a Redskins' training mini-camp. Redskins coach Joe Gibbs acknowledged that the Redskins had had no contact with Taylor since he returned to Miami in January, 2005, and that he had failed to return repeated phone calls to him by Gibbs and other Redskins' coaching staff. Despite his legal and other difficulties, though, Gibbs has defended the drafting of Taylor, calling the preparation that went into his selection one of the "most researched things in the history of sports." Taylor's agent is fellow University of Miami alumnus Drew Rosenhaus, widely considered one of the most aggressive agents currently representing NFL players. Rosenhaus currently is representing Taylor in his efforts to renegotiate his existing Redskins' contract. Arrested for armed assaultEvents:
Plea agreement and resolutionOn January 28, 2006, the Miami-Dade County prosecutor announced that he was filing new charges against Taylor, which would have increased his potential maximum jail time from 16 years to 46 years. The new charges include increasing his felony assault charges from one to three, which reflects the allegation that, on June 1, 2005, he brandished a firearm at three individuals who Taylor believed stole two all-terrain vehicles from him. The trial was again postponed on April 17, 2006 (to May 8, 2006), after the prosecutor in the case asked the presiding judge to be removed from the case. The County prosecutor's request for removal from the case came as Taylor's defense lawyers argued that the prosecutor was using the case to promote his side-work as a disc jockey in South Beach. Defense lawyers for Taylor have entered a motion for the case's complete dismissal, due to prosecutorial misconduct. On May 8, 2006, the prosecution requested and received yet another extension of the case, citing the new prosecutor assigned to the case and a need for additional preparation time. It was scheduled to begin July 10, 2006 in Miami. On June 2, 2006, however, the charges against Taylor were dropped as part of a negotiated plea bargain. Taylor will donate his time to various charities and make $1,000 donations to 10 southern Florida schools in scholarships and, in exchange, will avoid jail time and a felony record. PersonalTaylor spends most of his off-season time in his hometown of Miami. He is the son of Pedro Taylor (Police Chief for the City of Florida City Police Department); and Donna Junor. At the age of three, his parents divorced, and he was raised predominantly by his father and stepmother, Josephine Taylor, in the Richmond Heights area of Miami-Dade County. ReferencesExternal links
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