Gabe Taylor, the younger brother of Sean Taylor, says he was not aware of the Washington Football Team honoring his late brother by retiring his jersey until “like four days ago.”
“No I have not heard about it for a while,” Taylor said in an interview with 106.7 the Fan. “I found out probably, I’ll say like four days go.”
Gabe said his father told him. But he was not sure if his father knew before this week. Despite the short notice, Gabe Taylor says the family and he will be in attendance Sunday at FedEx Field.
The Washington Football Team announced on Thursday they were retiring the No. 21 jersey of Sean Taylor this Sunday, as the team hosts the Kansas City Chiefs. Many fans were upset by the short notice for one of the most popular players in franchise history.
Washington’s team president Jason Wright maintains the team had always planned to honor Taylor. They worked with the family as part of organizing the ceremony.
“But we screwed up the execution and, as a result, we realize that we hurt many of our fans deeply,” he wrote in his briefing. “And for that I and we as an organization are sorry.”
“We didn’t realize that so many of you wanted to make a trip to FedEx Field to be present for this moment—a true lack of understanding of what you, the lifeblood of this franchise, needed to mourn our collective loss and celebrate Sean’s legacy,” Wright continued.
According to The Washington Post’s Nicki Jhabvala, plans to honor Taylor were finalized two months ago. Alumni were contacted around that time.
The team intended to make the announcement about the jersey retiring on Monday. However, news of controversial emails from former Las Vegas Raiders head coach Jon Gruden to former Washington executive Bruce Allen, containing racist, homophobic and misogynists language.
Gruden resigned Monday night from the Raiders. Washington decided to delay the Taylor announcement.
According to The Athletic’s Ben Standig, alumni were aware of a broad ceremony honoring Taylor. But there was nothing definitive about retiring his jersey.
The timing of the jersey retirement is questionable, considering the negative press surrounding the franchise in recent weeks. Gruden’s emails leaked from the investigation into the Washington Football Team’s toxic workplace culture, stemming from accusations of sexual harassment and misconduct.
More than 650,000 emails pertaining to the investigation exist. However, the NFL has elected not to reveal the findings, despite an outcry from the NFLPA and attorneys of 40 former female employees.
Additionally, the team’s head athletic trainer Ryan Vermillion is the subject of an DEA investigation into distribution of prescription drugs.
Through all the drama and debating, the positive is Taylor is finally getting the honor of his jersey being retired. It’s been nearly 14 years since his untimely death. His passing crushed an entire fanbase, took away a promising young life.
His family will get the chance to celebrate his life and take in how much he meant for a sports town. The only shame is not all the fans who want to cherish and take in the moment got the chance to be there.
