Twitter Reacts To Washington Commanders’ Unveiling Of Sean Taylor Memorial
The Washington Commanders unveiled on Sunday (Nov. 27) what many fans expected to be a statue honoring the team’s star safety Sean Taylor, who was fatally shot during an attempted home burglary in 2007.
Many of them took to social media to share their outrage at what Sports Illustrated reported as, apparently, a mannequin wearing a mismatched outfit.
The unveiling ceremony at FedEx Field, prior to Washington’s game against the Atlanta Falcons, marked the 15th anniversary of Taylor’s death. According to NFL.com, the man who fired the fatal shot in the botched burglary was sentenced in 2014 to more than 57 years in state prison.
Taylor, 24, “was regarded as the prototype NFL free safety, blessed with the quickness of a cover cornerback and the size of a strong-side linebacker,” the Commanders said about the Pro Bowl athlete. The team retired his number in 2021.
Fans were puzzled about why the team failed to give the former star player a more fitting tribute. NBC Sports reported that the figure representing Taylor appears to be wearing a pair of Adidas soccer shoes, a Nike jersey and Reebok pants, noting that an authentic uniform would be entirely manufactured by Reebok.
Twitter users called the unveiling an embarrassment and disrespectful. The critics included former Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III.
