LANDOVER, Md. - Football centers around numbers. Statistics, scores, yards and more… and at FedEx field on Sunday afternoon, one number rises above all others.
21.
Fans proudly displayed their Sean Taylor gear at the Washington Football Team's game against the Kansas City Chiefs, where a football legend became etched in history.
"He is one of the best to do it here so I wanted to come and watch it," one Washington Football Team fan said.
"He could cover, he could hit, he could do everything so it was, he was a remarkable player," another Washington fan added. "If you never got the chance to see Sean Taylor play, you missed out."
Plenty celebrated around the late Pro Bowlers legacy, including his family, which was in-house to take part in the tributes. There were plenty of smiles, and tears, as a pregame video and halftime number retirement ceremony took place.
"It was also a sad day because he was one of my favorite players when he died. I remember exactly where I was. I was driving to work at Cracker Barrel at the time and when I found out he died I cried," a Washington fan said, recalling the moment he heard the news that Taylor was shot and killed in his Florida home in November of 2007. "It was a heartbreaking day for me."
Sunday marked a bright spot in what’s been an up and down season for the burgundy and gold faithful, and a chance to salute a legend who was taken far too soon.
"You won’t be able to watch it again. You have to be here to see it. It’s cool to watch that, one of the greats get their number hang here,” said a Washington fan.
"He was a fantastic player, he definitely would’ve been in the Hall of Fame," another fan added. "Unfortunately, his life was cut too short and all he was doing was just trying to protect his family. So it’s definitely tragic but this day means a lot, not just for me but for the entire franchise."
