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The only thing in the media that I have seen that is really bad is the ESPN bit that says his hit on Brian Mooreman tarnished the luster on his Probowl last year.
WTF. If Sean Taylor doesn't hit him its a first down, no in their right mind would bring that up as anything but positive.
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Rome's "your lifestyle determines your deathstyle" line was enough to make even Dids cringe.
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Rome and Whitlock (who's bit here is predictable and tired) are idiots here. While I think people were probably a bit much in their praise of Taylor's character early on, trying to put any of the blame on him for this on him at this point is just stupid and insulting. From all reports it seems like Taylor might have been a guy who did some assholish things, but he's not gangbanger.
Seems like a part of this is just people generalizing Miami players. Which while unfair, is almost understandable given the image that the players in that program cultivated.
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I have a feeling you're dead wrong on this one Dids. Sometimes the simplest explanation is the right one.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...x.html?cnn=yes
Rolle: Taylor was targeted
Ex-Miami teammate says friend lived in constant fear
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) -- Still in disbelief of his childhood friend's shooting death, Arizona Cardinals cornerback Antrel Rolle vowed Wednesday to make sure Sean Taylor is remembered.
He added he did not believe the killing was part of a burglary gone sour, and that Taylor had many enemies on the streets of Miami.
"This was not the first incident," Rolle said. "They've been targeting him for three years now."
Rolle said many former "friends" had it in for Taylor, who was trying to build a more stable life.
"He really didn't say too much," Rolle said, "but I know he lived his life pretty much scared every day of his life when he was down in Miami because those people were targeting him. At least, he's got peace now."
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"There was so much surrounding him," Rolle said. "Everyone was talking about him bad, so he just had to distance himself from everyone and live a life of his own. ... Within the last year, I've never seen anyone make such a dramatic change,"
Withdrawing from a bad crowd isn't easy, though, Rolle said.
"They say it was a burglary. It absolutely was not a burglary," he said. "Down South, where we're from, there were many people targeting Sean, a lot of jealousy, a lot of angry people.
"Sean, he had a large group of friends, and he no longer hung out with those friends, so you never know where this came from."
<<< article goes on...>>>
What's really hard to understand is why he wouldn't just get the hell out of Miami? If you're living in constant fear, just move to a gated suburb in Virginia. Bring your whole extended family with if you need to. ESPECIALLY didn't he just have a break in 8 days prior? Was he trying to prove he was too much of a man to run?
I agree Whitlock is starting to sound repetitive on this black culture stuff. But he's literally the only one in the sports world, and the only fresh voice out there saying this. He's also not afraid to take on Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton and the shakedown-for-money way their groups operate. Personally I don't mind if Whitlock keeps hammering his message home. I think it's a good one.
It's sort of like the few voices inside Islamic culture that have the guts to rail against extremists hijacking their religion. As an outsider, you kinda want those guys to keep yelling their message, even if some are tired of hearing it.