12.02.2007

Somebody got some 'plaining to do

A victim of circumstance. Sean Taylor was a victim of circumstance.

It is becoming evident that the murder of Sean Taylor was due to nothing more than criminals wanting to rob his house while he was (unbeknown to said criminals) there. These criminals didn’t know Taylor; they seem to be friends of the boyfriend of Taylor’s half-sister, which is akin to being the guy who details Taylor’s barber’s neighbor’s car if you are looking for a connection between Taylor and his assailants.

What will the ‘the past came back to haunt him’ crowd have to say now? If the only reason his house was targeted was it had valuables, what is the difference between the attack on Taylor that cost him his life and the attack on New York Times journalist David Rosenbaum, who died due to brain injuries stemming from a mugging in Washington DC in 2006? Will there be a mea culpa from Leonard Shapiro (Taylor's Death Is Tragic but Not Surprising) for assuming Taylor somehow contributed to his demise due to anything more than owning a nice home?

And what of people like Mike Wilbon (Dying Young, Black) and Jason Whitlock (Taylor’s Death A Grim Reminder For Us All) who speed past the tragedy of Taylor’s murder to get their somewhat connected point across, as if the loss of live wasn't enough. Whitlock in particular wins the ‘How can I connect this to my worldview?’ award for putting his disdain for the lyrics to a Soulja Boy song in his article as an example of the current black culture that killed Taylor, as if Taylor’s killers yelled ‘ youuuuuu!’ and did a nifty choreographed dance step after shooting.

There was a rush to judgment about this tragedy. And it was unnecessary. The tragedy of a 24 year old being gunned down in his home was enough to hold off on the speculation until at least Sean Taylor was put in the ground.