It’s the kind of road trip the Redskins never wanted to take, one filled with sadness and grief and a tearful reunion with friends. And it’s one that provided them one more chance to bid farewell to a respected teammate and player.
It turned out to be an equal mix of comfort — hearing words of praise for slain safety Sean Taylor — and pain. They could laugh a little hearing some stories. They cried hearing others.
The Redskins needed eight buses to transport the more than 300 employees who attended the funeral to the airport. They arrived at Redskins Park starting around 5:30 a.m. and the buses pulled back into the facility shortly after 6:30 p.m.
“It’s good and bad because we know what we lost,” said Redskins linebacker London Fletcher, acting as a de facto spokesman for the players upon their return. “Being a person of faith we know we’ll see him again. It was comforting in that way. But you’re sad because we really lost a special person.”
The Redskins left after the nearly three-hour funeral and must return to work today, preparing for Thursday’s game against Chicago. The funeral allowed them to move forward, anchored somewhat by heavy hearts.
“Now we got the funeral part of it, and laid Sean to rest,” said Fletcher, wearing a black 21 pin on his suit. “That part of it was moving, it was something we needed. His memory still lives on in us. There’s still a healing process we’ll go through.”
A number of ex-college and pro teammates of Taylor’s attended. Fletcher said he was moved by players who did not play with Taylor who showed up, such as former Jets running back Curtis Martin and Carolina defensive end Julius Peppers.
For Fletcher, the day provided him a chance to learn more about someonewho was a teammate of his for less than a year. He liked hearing about his generous side and the depth of his love for family.
But he’ll remember something else about him.
“Probably his smile,” Fletcher said. “Just seeing him smiling around here and what stands out to me is the last week I saw him around here. Sean seemed like he had a glow about him.”
