Sunday marked 15 years since Sean Taylor was shot and killed in a home invasion, and the Washington Commanders honored the former defensive back by unveiling a memorial. The tribute was not exactly well received, but one of the biggest criticisms of it was unwarranted.
Washington held a ceremony prior to their game against the Atlanta Falcons at FedExField. Taylor’s daughter Jackie pulled a burgundy sheet to reveal a glass case with a figure depicting Taylor inside.
The Sean Taylor Memorial inside FedEx Field.
Number 21 always and forever pic.twitter.com/yCCMinnUBX
— Scott Abraham (@Scott7news) November 27, 2022
Fans and members of the media were highly critical of the memorial. Many felt Taylor deserved an actual statue, not a wire mannequin in mismatched football equipment.
Another angle. Reebok pants. Nike top. Adidas soccer cleats. pic.twitter.com/v6n7zSb7TU
— Steve (@AirRaidConcepts) November 27, 2022
Sean Taylor is one of the most beloved players in Washington team history. The team made a big show of how it was going to unveil a memorial to honor him today. And the memorial is just his uniform. That's all it is. No more thought put into it than that. https://t.co/rZ6XpdXqiP
— Michael David Smith (@MichaelDavSmith) November 27, 2022
This is the Sean Taylor memorial unveiled today by the Washington #Commanders.
This is not representative of a great player.pic.twitter.com/lJDHC4yz8A
— Armando Salguero (@ArmandoSalguero) November 27, 2022
The Sean Taylor “memorial” should have been an actual Statue and not some sports store wire frame mannequin, and it should have been modeled after this photo. pic.twitter.com/slLwVn1ZVp
— disappointed nation (@CowboysNation) November 27, 2022
Some compared the Taylor memorial to the one the Arizona Cardinals built for Pat Tillman.
Pat Tillman statue vs. Sean Taylor memorial pic.twitter.com/HGJz8GtyYJ
— Kyle Odegard (@Kyle_Odegard) November 27, 2022
At least one aspect of the criticism was unfair. It was assumed that the Commanders had soccer cleats on the mannequin out of carelessness, but Taylor’s daughter said the footwear is her favorite part of the memorial. She told reporters that wearing soccer cleats is “something that was super special to (Taylor) and something that he chose to do.”
Sean Taylor’s daughter, Jackie, says her favorite part of her dad’s memorial: the soccer cleats pic.twitter.com/9sGkWtGwCz
— Sharla McBride (@SharlaMcBride) November 27, 2022
It is hardly a surprise that people jumped at the opportunity to bash the Commanders, but they should have done some research first.
This is not the first time we have seen a controversy involving a Taylor memorial.
