Why did Sean Taylor have to die?

We may never know the full truth, and whatever may be said by me, or anyone else other than those closest to Taylor in the coming days, is purely speculative, but what we all do know is that yet another young African-American male has lost his life. Sadly, no matter how much they deny it, there are those to whom this means nothing because it's just another African American male passing via the gun. But, it is disturbing nonetheless. 

Why did this have to happen? Here was a young man who lost his life after having seemingly "made it," much like Denver Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams, who was killed in a drive-by shooting following an argument at a Denver nightclub on Jan. 1, 2007, and University of Miami (the same college Taylor attended) defensive lineman Bryan Pata, who was shot to death in November 2006 just a few miles from Taylor's home in an unsolved killing.

Those of us in the sports world are probably familiar with some of the checkered issues the young star had in his short career. Shortly after being drafted fifth in the 2004 NFL draft after an All-American season at the University of Miami, Taylor dismissed his agent, skipped a portion of mandatory rookie meetings and seminars, and drew a fine of $25,000. Drunken driving charges and several fines for late hits followed, but much to his credit, the hard-hitting safety eventually reached Pro Bowl status.

Also, Taylor endured a year-long legal battle after he was accused in 2005 of brandishing a gun at a man during a fight over allegedly stolen all-terrain vehicles near Taylor's home. He eventually pleaded no contest to two misdemeanors and was sentenced to 18 months' probation. However, those close to him, namely his colleagues on the Washington Redskins, said he had matured greatly in the last year after the birth of his first child, a girl.

After an examination of his history, the questions lingers. Was Taylor the victim of the company he kept or a random act? Many occasions have arisen where young African-American males have reached celebrity status such as that of an athlete, actor or entertainer, and are simply the victim of "haters," those who are jealous, sometimes with rage, silent or otherwise, of the individual's obtained status. 

A random act would speak to the "M.O." of such a person. But, the fact that someone had unlawfully entered Lewis' home just eight days ago and evidence showed the perpetrators targeted certain areas of the home, lends to a touch of familiarity with regards to the burglar. Even in the second attempt, reports say the girlfriend recalled hearing thumping noises in the front of the house, but the perpetrators advanced directly to his bedroom, so the odds are they knew exactly what they wanted.

Whatever the case, it is truly a sad state of affairs. Whether this young man kept a "posse" of friends that he was determined to stay "true" to (much like a young Allan Iverson) and one of them went south on him, or some "hangar-on" saw something appealing while visiting during a function at the home and decided to come back another time to retrieve it, who knows. The fact is, another young African-American child will grow up fatherless. 

The circumstances surrounding the death of this young man, at least as I've heard them on news broadcasts, leaves many questions surrounding this unfortunate circumstance. As an African-American father, I take it personally what happened to Sean Taylor. I won't hold my breath, but I sincerely hope that those who have committed the crime will be not only man enough to turn themselves in for what they've done, but also man enough to accept responsibility and do the time for their crime