It was a team meeting. A prayer meeting. A reunion and remembrance.
The Redskins met for the first time Wednesday following teammate’s Sean Taylor’s death on Tuesday. They needed to regroup. Shed some tears, laugh over some memories, find healing through faith and fellowship.
Pedro Taylor talked about his son. Jackie Garcia shared her pain of losing her long-time boyfriend and father of their 18-month-old daughter. Coach Joe Gibbs spoke of his parents in heaven. Owner Dan Snyder offered a compassionate summation.
It was raw and uncomfortable. A first step, but only the start of a long journey to acceptance of losing their teammate to a violent crime.
“Everybody wants to know why,” said pastor Brett Fuller, one of the team’s chaplains in the meeting. “Having been a minister for 26 years, I haven’t figured out that question in any circumstance.”
Neither will the Redskins any time soon. They practiced and tried to find normalcy, but playing Buffalo on Sunday, burying Taylor on Monday and playing Chicago three days later will make the next week anything but normal.
It was a quiet day around Redskins Park. A few players spoke about Taylor, but his fellow defensive backs couldn’t yet summon words. Neither did Miami connections Clinton Portis and Santana Moss.
It helped to talk about Taylor, though. To hear they weren’t alone in grief. Pedro Taylor wanted to come to Redskins Park, to see his son’s locker and tell teammates of Sean’s passion for the game and them. During the 10 minute talk, Pedro Taylor didn’t say win the final five games to make the playoffs in his son’s memory, but said Sean was “interested in winning.”
The emotional peak might have been Garcia, who was recently engaged to Taylor. Players didn’t recall her words, but she really made them feel the loss of their teammate.
“The toughest part was seeing his girlfriend come in and talk,” linebacker Marcus Washington said. “I thought his dad handled it really well. It was really tough for the girlfriend. Just emotional — that pain that she feels.”
Redskins players have weekly prayer meetings and Gibbs is well known for his faith. Many looked for the coach to provide a spiritual moment in the meeting and Gibbs talked of his late parents and uncle’s continued influence.
“We read in God’s word the saints have gone before us and they’re cheering us on. I told them to always reflect on that,” he said.
It was a solemn practice and grim walk back to the locker room. Yet, Fuller believes the Redskins are healing.
“They’re just trying to make it to Thursday,” Fuller said. “That’s all they’re trying to do. I think they’re going to be prepared on Sunday, but right now, they’re not thinking about Buffalo. They’re thinking about ‘OK, if I make it through today, I can make it to tomorrow.’”
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Contact him at [email protected].
