Sean ”The Meast” Taylor; No April Fool
Sean ”The Meast” Taylor; No April Fool
Sean Taylor; The Meast, was born on April 1, 1983, and he would have been 36 years old today. Knowing him, he probably would still be in the league on a team like the Patriots, Cowboys, or Packers and having an intricate role on the field. Unfortunately, his life was cut short as he was shot in his home after he attempted to save his and his family’s life from the worst possible outcome. Sean was a tremendous player who excelled on the field but today on his birthday, that’s not what I want to talk about. I want to discuss a topic that most fans and organizations always stay away from, which is these pro athletes need extra visible security and protection from fans. Let’s start off with looking at some of the most recent incidents between fans and pro athletes. A fan of the Boston Celtics was recently banned from any more games this season and the next because he yelled a racial slur at Demarcus Cousins. Russell Westbrook was clearly given 2 fingers to his face when he was going after a loose ball in Philadelphia and also getting into a heated argument with a Utah Jazz fan and his wife after they told Westbrook to get on his knees as he used too. Even when Quentin Jefferson from the Seattle Seahawks went up into the stands after being ejected from a game vs the Jaguars, a fan threw a beer at him not once but twice. Marcus Peters went to confront a fan after he had enough of the derogatory statements made by a said fan. At some point, this has to stop or this can and will lead to what happened with Sean Taylor. In no way am I saying that this is the cause to Sean’s murder, what I’m saying is if things stay the way they are then it could lead to that same outcome. These pro athletes should be surrounded by a barrage of security at games and even at their homes. And in my opinion, I believe that is something the NFL should mandate to every organization to have. And I’m not talking about some event staff worker or 1 bouncer from a club, I’m talking about a 4 or 5 man crew that monitors the player’s arrival to the stadium, during the game, and when they are home. When you’re a prominent athlete making a boatload of money, you have just as many haters as you do fans. And trust and believe, even your fans, given the chance would probably want to stick it to them as well. For anyone that thinks these pro athletes aren’t targets, you’re delusional. For anyone that thinks these pro athletes aren’t despised because of the amount of money they make for playing a kids game, you’re delusional.
For anyone that thinks these pro athletes should be able to deal with all that comes their way because the amount of money they make, you guessed it, you’re delusional. These type of people need visible security and protection, in hopes that it will be enough of a deterrent for jealous fans. I can’t help but to think that if Sean Taylor had a team of security surrounding his house that unforgettable night, he would still be here and able to see his daughter grow up. In remembrance of the Meast on his birthday and to everyone reading this, please be mindful that pro athletes are people as well, and treat them with the respect that you would want to be treated with as well. R.I.P. Sean Taylor.
-Reggie Thomas Jr.