Derrick Dockery envisioned his homecoming in Washington unfolding a certain way: seeing friends and familiar faces; laughing about old times and slapping backs.
That’s not what he expects to happen Sunday.
“That’s the sad, hard thing about it,” said Dockery, the ex-Redskins guard who signed with Buffalo this past offseason. “It was going to be the Buffalo Bills against the Redskins and now there is something greater. This is a game, but Sean [Taylor], that was life. Life is priceless. We’re just going to try to focus and try to play a good game on Sunday. It’s going to be a very emotional game. It’s going to be a tough one.”
When Taylor was in the hospital Monday, Dockery spoke with ex-teammates Demetric Evans and Chris Samuels. And Dockery heard the news the next morning on TV.
“Just to be around Sean was a great experience,” Dockery said. “He talked about decisions he was making and the decisions he used to make. He wouldn’t make those same decisions or mistakes anymore.”
The Bills endured their own difficult circumstance in September when tight end Kevin Everett, a teammate of Taylor’s at the University of Miami, suffered a spinal cord injury. Paralysis was feared, but Everett is now walking with assistance.
But the fact that he quickly improved helped their situation.
“To lose someone is hard,” Dockery said.
And, though his return to Washington won’t unfold the way he’d hoped, the timing is good after such a week.
“Just to be able to be back with those guys is a good thing,” Dockery said. “You need it after this. Being able to lean on one another will be a great feeling.”
