Sean Taylor, American football player (d. 2007)
Sean Michael Maurice Taylor (April 1, 1983 – November 27, 2007) was an American football safety for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected fifth overall in the 2004 NFL Draft by the Redskins, where he played for four seasons until his murder in 2007.
As a high school player, Taylor led Gulliver Prep to a Florida state championship and set the state record for single-season 44 touchdowns. Taylor played college football as a defensive back at Miami, where he was a member of the 2001 BCS National Championship team and earned unanimous All-American honors. With the Redskins, he gained a reputation as a hard-hitting player. Due to his ferocious hits, several of his Washington teammates nicknamed him "Meast", from the expression "half man, half beast." He made one Pro Bowl appearance in 2006.
During the 2007 season, Taylor was shot by intruders at his Miami area home and died the next day on November 27. His death led to an outpouring of national support and sympathy, especially in the Washington, D.C., area, where he had been a fan favorite as a Redskin, and the Miami area, where he had starred in high school and college. Posthumously, he earned a second Pro Bowl selection and second-team All-Pro honors. Taylor was inducted to Washington's Ring of Fame in 2008.