Antrel Rolle Says Sean Taylor Had Been a Target

[Janice]

Rolle Says Taylor Had Been a Target

By BOB BAUM, AP Sports

TEMPE, Ariz. (Nov. 28) - Still in disbelief of his childhood friend's shooting death, Arizona Cardinals cornerback Antrel Rolle vowed Wednesday to make sure Sean Taylor is remembered.

He added he did not believe the killing was part of a burglary gone sour, and that Taylor had many enemies on the streets of Miami.

"This was not the first incident," Rolle said. "They've been targeting him for three years now."

Rolle said many former "friends" had it in for Taylor, who was trying to build a more stable life.

"He really didn't say too much," Rolle said, "but I know he lived his life pretty much scared every day of his life when he was down in Miami because those people were targeting him. At least, he's got peace now."

Rolle and Taylor, whose fathers were policemen in Homestead, Fla., started playing football together when they were 6 years old. They went on to become University of Miami teammates and NFL first-round draft picks. Both wore No. 21, Rolle for the Cardinals, Taylor for the Washington Redskins.

Rolle said he hadn't talked to Taylor in a while, and that the Redskin had withdrawn from the crowd he hung around with to build a new life with his girlfriend and young daughter.

"There was so much surrounding him," Rolle said. "Everyone was talking about him bad, so he just had to distance himself from everyone and live a life of his own. ... Within the last year, I've never seen anyone make such a dramatic change,"

Withdrawing from a bad crowd isn't easy, though, Rolle said.

"They say it was a burglary. It absolutely was not a burglary," he said. "Down South, where we're from, there were many people targeting Sean, a lot of jealousy, a lot of angry people.

"Sean, he had a large group of friends, and he no longer hung out with those friends, so you never know where this came from."

Rolle said his family rushed to the hospital to be with Taylor's family following the shooting.

"It really hasn't hit me yet," Rolle said, "the fact that I'm never going to see his face again, his ways, him performing on the field. My heart goes out to his girlfriend, his family, his little kid."

Rolle will leave immediately after Sunday's game against Cleveland on a flight to Miami, where he will attend Monday's memorial service. But Rolle wants fans to keep remembering Taylor as the player he was and the man he was becoming after some rough years.

"I'm going to keep his name alive," Rolle said. "Every time I make a play, I'm definitely going to mention him. I'm going to represent my 21 as his 21."

Rolle said he and Taylor became friends as 6-year-old teammates for the Homestead Hurricanes. Later, when they played against each other, Rolle was a running back and Taylor a linebacker.

"They'd call a sweep one way," Rolle said. "I would look at him on that side, and I would change the play myself and go the other way because I knew he would try to knock my head off."

Rolle was an All-American as a senior in 2004 and was picked eighth overall by the Cardinals. A year before, Taylor earned similar honors at Miami, then went to Washington as the fifth overall choice.

"I definitely will go out there and play and do everything I can do because I know how much he loved the game," Rolle said. "I don't think there was anyone who lived it or took it as seriously as he did. I just told myself I'm not going to let his name die. We started when we were 6 years old, and we're going to finish it together."

[TVFactFan]

Originally Posted by Janice

Rolle Says Taylor Had Been a Target

By BOB BAUM, AP Sports

TEMPE, Ariz. (Nov. 28) - Still in disbelief of his childhood friend's shooting death, Arizona Cardinals cornerback Antrel Rolle vowed Wednesday to make sure Sean Taylor is remembered.

He added he did not believe the killing was part of a burglary gone sour, and that Taylor had many enemies on the streets of Miami.

"This was not the first incident," Rolle said. "They've been targeting him for three years now."

Rolle said many former "friends" had it in for Taylor, who was trying to build a more stable life.

"He really didn't say too much," Rolle said, "but I know he lived his life pretty much scared every day of his life when he was down in Miami because those people were targeting him. At least, he's got peace now."

Rolle and Taylor, whose fathers were policemen in Homestead, Fla., started playing football together when they were 6 years old. They went on to become University of Miami teammates and NFL first-round draft picks. Both wore No. 21, Rolle for the Cardinals, Taylor for the Washington Redskins.

Rolle said he hadn't talked to Taylor in a while, and that the Redskin had withdrawn from the crowd he hung around with to build a new life with his girlfriend and young daughter.

"There was so much surrounding him," Rolle said. "Everyone was talking about him bad, so he just had to distance himself from everyone and live a life of his own. ... Within the last year, I've never seen anyone make such a dramatic change,"

Withdrawing from a bad crowd isn't easy, though, Rolle said.

"They say it was a burglary. It absolutely was not a burglary," he said. "Down South, where we're from, there were many people targeting Sean, a lot of jealousy, a lot of angry people.

"Sean, he had a large group of friends, and he no longer hung out with those friends, so you never know where this came from."

Rolle said his family rushed to the hospital to be with Taylor's family following the shooting.

"It really hasn't hit me yet," Rolle said, "the fact that I'm never going to see his face again, his ways, him performing on the field. My heart goes out to his girlfriend, his family, his little kid."

Rolle will leave immediately after Sunday's game against Cleveland on a flight to Miami, where he will attend Monday's memorial service. But Rolle wants fans to keep remembering Taylor as the player he was and the man he was becoming after some rough years.

"I'm going to keep his name alive," Rolle said. "Every time I make a play, I'm definitely going to mention him. I'm going to represent my 21 as his 21."

Rolle said he and Taylor became friends as 6-year-old teammates for the Homestead Hurricanes. Later, when they played against each other, Rolle was a running back and Taylor a linebacker.

"They'd call a sweep one way," Rolle said. "I would look at him on that side, and I would change the play myself and go the other way because I knew he would try to knock my head off."

Rolle was an All-American as a senior in 2004 and was picked eighth overall by the Cardinals. A year before, Taylor earned similar honors at Miami, then went to Washington as the fifth overall choice.

"I definitely will go out there and play and do everything I can do because I know how much he loved the game," Rolle said. "I don't think there was anyone who lived it or took it as seriously as he did. I just told myself I'm not going to let his name die. We started when we were 6 years old, and we're going to finish it together."

That's what it sounded like to me, especially when he lived in a nice neighborhood.

[Chelsea]

The man was shot in the *groin*. In his *bedroom*. In a burglary/robbery, if it comes to shooting, people are usually shot in the head or chest. Not the groin. A gunshot to the groin, in the bedroom, sounds like something *personal*

[Brieannas21]

Originally Posted by KingofTVResearch

That's what it sounded like to me, especially when he lived in a nice neighborhood.

People who live in nice neighborhoods aren't prone from getting robbed, killed or shot.

Originally Posted by Seth

The man was shot in the *groin*. In his *bedroom*. In a burglary/robbery, if it comes to shooting, people are usually shot in the head or chest. Not the groin. A gunshot to the groin, in the bedroom, sounds like something *personal*

I think it was a personal thing also, I'm surprised that they haven't looked at his gf yet, or their close friends.

[Janice]

His girlfriend was probably the first person they looked into. That's stand procedure. It almost seems like it was a warning that went real bad. If you want to kill someone, you shoot their head or chest, not their leg. It hit a main artery and that was it. I'm sure the cops are turning over every stone.

[Ireneparalegal]

Originally Posted by Janice

His girlfriend was probably the first person they looked into. That's stand procedure. It almost seems like it was a warning that went real bad. If you want to kill someone, you shoot their head or chest, not their leg. It hit a main artery and that was it. I'm sure the cops are turning over every stone.

Thank you, that is what I was thinking. If they shot him in the leg/groin area, they probably didn't mean to kill him, it sounds like a warning. I highly doubt a criminal is going to know abt a major artery that runs down one's leg. Once that artery is severed, you will most likely bleed to death. Time is of the essence.

That is what happened to Tejano singer Selena. She was shot once, but it hit a main artery in her shoulder area. She bled to death.

I am just amazed at how people can be shot multiple times and live. You hit a person with a bullet ONCE in a certain area and they can die.

[Janice]

Police Detain Three in Taylor Case

MIAMI (Nov. 30) - Police have detained at least three people in the Fort Myers area for questioning in the death of Washington Redskins star Sean Taylor.

A law enforcement official in Lee County confirmed the men from the Fort Myers area were in custody, but requested anonymity because the investigation is being handled by Miami-Dade County police.

Miami-Dade police would not confirm if anyone was in custody for the shooting death of Taylor, who was attacked at his Miami area home Monday and died a day later. Police only said detectives were in the Fort Myers area for an unspecified case.

"Our detectives are out there in Fort Myers conducting an investigation, gathering information and at this particular time they are not comfortable releasing any information regarding their investigation," police spokesman Robert Williams said. "As soon as information develops that will not jeopardize their case, they will release information."

The Miami Herald, which first reported the development on its Web site, said investigators believe the suspects learned of Taylor's house through someone who unwittingly set up the burglary by bragging about his wealth. The suspects include two teenagers and a man in his 20s, all from the Fort Myers area, the paper reported.

A telephone message left at the Florida City Police Department for the slain safety's father, Chief Pedro Taylor, was not immediately returned.

Richard Sharpstein, a former Taylor lawyer and family friend, confirmed the law enforcement report.

"It's my understanding that three individuals are in custody. A house is being searched," Sharpstein said, without disclosing who had given him the information.

He repeated previous statements that the burglary did not appear to be random and that the 24-year-old's house had been targeted.

Taylor's teammates and friends were measured in responding to this latest development.

"I can't get excited or get my hopes up hoping these are the guys until we know for sure," said running back Clinton Portis. "Everybody wants to know why. It's still not gonna bring back Sean. It will still take a great guy away from the world."

Said receiver Santana Moss: "If those are the guys, I just hope that they'll just be dealt with properly. I feel there's nothing much I can say about it. It's no anger I can express to them. What's done is done."

Evidence at Taylor's home indicated one or more intruders barged into the house early Monday in an attempted burglary, Miami-Dade police director Robert Parker said Wednesday.

Taylor and longtime girlfriend, Jackie Garcia, were awakened by loud noises at Taylor's home in an affluent Miami suburb, Sharpstein has said. Taylor grabbed a machete he keeps in the bedroom for protection, Sharpstein said, then someone broke through the bedroom door and fired two shots, one missing and one hitting Taylor in the upper leg. Neither the couple's 18-month-old daughter, also named Jackie, nor Garcia were injured in the attack.

The bullet damaged the femoral artery in Taylor's leg, causing significant blood loss. Taylor never regained consciousness and died a little more than 24 hours later.

A public viewing for Taylor is scheduled Sunday in Miami, and the entire Redskins organization plans to fly to Florida to attend Monday's funeral at Pharmed Arena at Florida International University.