The Commanders will be building a statue of Sean Taylor after their first attempt to commemorate him failed miserably.
Every franchise has its legends, and the Washington Commanders are no different. One such legend is former safety Sean Taylor, who played for the team for four years before he was tragically murdered by a home intruder in 2007. Had he not passed away, chances are Taylor would have gone on to become one of the game's greatest safeties of all time.
The Commanders have made it a goal of theirs to remember Taylor properly, but they failed to do so after a memorial installation of their former star defender was unveiled two years ago, only to be met with substantial criticism by fans. As a result, the team announced that the installation been permanently removed, and that they will be building a statue of Taylor instead.
“The Washington Commanders will build a statue to honor their late former safety Sean Taylor, two years after unveiling a memorial installation that was criticized by fans and has already been permanently removed. Taylor, whose No. 21 was retired in 2022, becomes the organization's first former player to be memorialized with a statue. Taylor's daughter, Jackie, will be involved in helping design the statue.” – John Keim, ESPN
Commanders giving Sean Taylor the tribute he deserves
In just four seasons, Taylor managed to make quite a large impact on the NFL. He quickly became one of the most feared players in the league for his vicious tackling, and he found his way to a pair of Pro Bowls, while also earning a spot on the All-Pro second-team for the 2007 season, which he did not get to finish because of his untimely passing.
The league has honored Taylor frequently since his death, but the Commanders are taking it to another level by correcting their mistakes from their previous failed tribute. Now, the star safety will have his number 21 jersey retired by the team, and he will be the first player in the franchise's history to receive their own statue.
It's great to see Washington recognize their mistakes and look to make things right, and hopefully, the statue will end up meeting the expectations of fans. Taylor is still revered in the NFL community nearly 20 years after his death, and it's safe to say that folks everywhere will be excited to see what this statue looks like when it ends up getting completed.
