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This happened for a reason

So Sean Taylor got retroactively docked 4 weeks' pay from last season for the whole 'drew a gun on some dudes' episode in Miami. I tend to think a suspension is in order for this kind of thing, but he pled down to a misdemeanor, and no doubt the NFL was a party to that negotiation. Taylor may be a thug, but he's a moneymakin thug.

It's not even unusual to talk about promising football players that let their own lives get in the way of playing football, and I think Sean Taylor may be heading in that direction. Bam Morris, Lawrence Phillips, Maurice Clarett, these guys blew up.

Ricky Williams have smoke so much that he's in Canada. Dude, you have your whole life to smoke herb and listen to K&D. Cost himself millions. Hakim Hill, Robert Baker, Andre Rison,
R. Jay Soward, Bernard Williams, all NFL talent that just couldn't get out of their own way. Rae Carruth couldn't not kill someone.

Nate Newton got into trouble right after retirement, when the money stopped coming in. Barret Robbins refused to stay on his meds, which is as much about respecting yourself as those around you.

None of these players is exactly like Taylor. If Taylor continues his ways, though, he'll be in this list. So far in two seasons in the NFL, he bailed early on the manadatory rookie symposium (fined $25,000), racked up $30,000 in late hit or unnecessary roughness plays (Sean, ever hear of Mark Carrier? He had so many late hits his nickname was Marked Man.), fined $5,000 for a stupid uniform violation, $17,000 for spitting on Michael Pittman and now $71,764 for pulling a gun on some guys in Miami. That's a two-season total of nearly $150,000. Only thing missing here is a gold Merc, weed and guns (sorry, wrong playa). Wasting that much when you make that much disrespects the people that pay your salary.

He's barely in control. He didn't return Joe Gibbs' phone calls after his rookie season. He lied to the coach about the loogie and played Joe for an idiot when ESPN dug up the reverse angle that clearly showed him hocking one on Pittman. And pulling a gun on someone is the last thing you do before shooting someone.

On the field, he frightens opposing players, a safety in a linebacker's body, and I bet he looks 8 feet tall when he's coming at you. He needs to start taking Redskin football and his career seriously.


Photo by Toni L. Sandys for Washington Post