Thousands of people attended the funeral for Washington Redskins star Sean Taylor Monday (Dec. 3, 2007) at Florida International University’s Pharmed Arena.

Taylor died Nov. 27, one day after being shot inside his Miami-area home by intruders.

Among those who paid their respects were NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and former football star O.J. Simpson, who said Taylor “was just a great athlete.”

Jesse Jackson stood with the Taylor’s father, Florida City Police Chief Pedro Taylor. And actor Andy Garcia whose niece, Jackie Garcia, was Taylor's girlfriend, was also in attendance.

Monday’s funeral followed a wake and candlelight vigil held Sunday in Miami. Redskins fans also arrived at FedEx Field an hour early for a ceremony remembering Taylor.

The Redskins were also wore patches on their jerseys and stickers on their helmets with Taylor 's number 21.

Four young men, aged 17 to 20, were accused of killing Taylor . Jason Mitchell, Eric Rivera, Charles Wardlow and Venjah Hunte were charged with unpremeditated murder, home invasion with a firearm or another deadly weapon and armed burglary.

Taylor was not expected to be home at the time of the Monday break-in but was there to have doctors examine an injured knee.

Taylor, his girlfriend, Jackie Garcia, and their 18-month-old daughter were in their master bedroom early Nov. 26 when they heard a noise in the living room, Taylor's attorney and long-time friend, Richard Sharpstein said.

Taylor grabbed what Sharpstein described as "a machete or something of that sort" and was heading toward the bedroom door when someone burst through and opened fire with a pistol.

One bullet hit Taylor in the thigh and severed his femoral artery, and another hit a wall, Sharpstein said. The baby, who was in a crib, and Taylor 's girlfriend, who was hiding under the bed sheets, were not harmed.

Police said a burglary attempt was also reported at Taylor 's house on November 18. An intruder broke through a front window, entered several rooms, rifled through drawers and a safe and left a kitchen knife on a bed. No one else was in the house at the time. And no arrests had been made in that incident.

Sean Michael Taylor was born April 1, 1983 in Miami. He was the son of Pedro Taylor, chief of police in Florida City, and Donna Junor.

At the age of three, his parents divorced. He was primarily raised by his father and stepmother, Josephine Taylor, in the Richmond Heights area of Miami-Dade County.

Taylor played high school football at Gulliver Preparatory School, playing running back on offense and defensive back and linebacker on defense. Taylor helped Gulliver win the Florida Class 2A State Championship in 2000.

Taylor played college football at the University of Miami , where he was an All-American in 2003.

Since he was drafted as the No. 5 overall pick in 2004, Taylor has found himself in various trouble, both on and off the field. Straight away, Taylor was fined $25,000 for skipping a mandatory rookie symposium shortly after he was drafted.

In 2005, Taylor was accused of brandishing a gun at a man and repeatedly hitting him during a fight that broke out after Taylor and some friends went looking for the people who had allegedly stolen his all-terrain vehicles. Taylor pleaded no contest to two misdemeanors and was sentenced to 18 months probation. He was also fined by the NFL.

In January 2006, he suffered a $17,000 penalty for spitting in the face of Tampa Bay running back Michael Pittman during a playoff game.

Known as one of the NFL's hardest hitters, Taylor led the Redskins with five interceptions despite having missed the last two games because of a knee injury.


In my opinion, I miss Sean Taylor! i believe he was the best Free Safety in the NFL! R.I.P Sean Taylor!
Gone but not forgotten! Please reply your feelings and what you think about this tragic event.

Yup.


[post="http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/02/03/sheriff.phelps.marijuana/"]Full Article
[/post]

Does anyone watch hockey? I actually have 2 hockey teams in chicago. That is the wolves and the black hawks. I like both teams but the black hawks are overall better then the wolves.

phels has done it! he is unstoppable! 8 for 8 medals.first Olympian to win 8 gold medals! GO PHELPS!

Just making the first thread in the new sports section. anyway from the title you can see that this topic will be about baseball. anyway I like baseball but i think its funnier going to a game then watching on the tv my favorite team is the cubs!!! always been a cubs fan never a sox fan . well post your favorite teams and discuss baseball!

Although the season is already over, I think O_o, Whats you're favorite basketball team?
Mine is alabama >.>

Whats your PR? for any run - idc, i run everything so i was jw what everyone elses is...

Hey guys I wanted to know who you wanted to win the super bowl! My self I pick the pats because thy haven't lost once yet!

ok bet on a team u think wil go to the superbowl I pick Chargers and no doubling

I just wanted to get this section a little active. SO who do you think is going to win the super bowl?

So who on here plays is playing in a Fantasy Football leauge this year?
Who would be your top 5 picks? Any sleepers you want to talk about?

I just want to say that the cubs are going to win the world series this year! No one stops the cubs! >.>

this is a serious question to mostly anyone. my question to you is do you think pro wrestling is a sport yes or no (explain). i think so because even tho its fake they still put there body on the line for your entertainment. also the injuries are real and people need to have surgery to repair. please give your answer .

Props to who ever added this section to the forums.

But erm. THe team i watch frequently which is an independent Base ball team called the Sussex's Sky Hawks. Independent leagues are often better then Minor league baseball, Cause independent baseball usually contain player that have been in the majors or any level below. Or there past their prime but are still decent players.

Also the difference between independent and Minor League is that Independents have no affiliation with and major league team.

But back to my Sky Hawks. Here is there Web site. http://www.sussexskyhawks.com/

They're currently the worst team in the league but may be on a turn around as they just beat the number 1 team three in a row.

The League They're apart of is Called the CanAm leauge and it is one of the older leagues in baseball. Goes back to beofre WWII, here's a Inset from the web site.




So any one else follow Minor League or independent baseball. Independent Baseball is becoming more and more popular. Most states have at least 1 team. NJ has 2 teams just from The CanAm league. massachusettes has 3 teams.