One Year Ago

When I was a senior in high school I spent nearly 12 hours in my basement watching the 2004 NFL draft. My brother (Chris) had just returned from a disappointing trip to Dallas (the trip where Bill Parcels said he would be nothing more than a decent special teamer in the league) and knew that if he was going to go anywhere it would likely be Washington. Well as fate would have it, the Washington Redskins selected Sean Taylor instead of Kellen Winslow and goosebumps ran down my back knowing that Chris could play with "that guy from Miami." Sure enough, the trade flashed across the screen and with the 81st pick the Skins took Chris forever connecting him with whom would become much more to me than just "that guy."

November 5, 2006 would be the last time I saw Sean in action. It was a game full of ups and downs. One minute I was 100 percent sure of victory and the next, 100 percent sure of defeat. I stood by my seat moping with the rest of the crowd when all of the sudden, as the Cowboys attempted their winning field goal I see #21 sprinting down the sideline with the ball! I jumped to on the railing screaming with all I had. With no time left Sean needed to find the end zone for the win...but he didn't, he was tackled. And as he went down I felt defeat in every ounce of my body. I was packing up and preparing to make the walk of shame to my car and sulk until next week. But wait...a penalty. Yes! We get one more shot. The snap...the hold...the kick! REDSKINS WIN! REDSKINS WIN!

That was the last time I saw Sean play a down of football but definitely not my last memory. I remember getting a call from Chris one morning telling me Sean had been shot and that he wasn't doing very well. It was a call I will never forget. Chris sounded lost on the other end of the phone and I could do nothing to help ease the pain. As the hours passed I watched the endless news coverage. I was glued to the TV trying to soak in everything that was happening to the Redskins, to Sean's family, to my brother. It was a very tough experience to watch and to live.

As horrible as some things in life are, some good can still be done for Sean's family. Unable to keep everything they felt it would be best to give the fans a chance to own something of Sean's. Eastern Motors is helping auction off his vehicles through an online auction that ends on Dec. 2. All proceeds will go to the Sean Taylor Estate Trust set up for his two year old, Jackie.

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