Washington Football Team to Retire Jersey 21
Sean Taylor’s number and memory are being preserved.
Back in 2004, the football team currently known as the Washington Football Team drafted one Sean Taylor to their side. Taylor staked his claim on the team with gusto, landing Pro Bowl in both 2006 and 2007. Tragically, however, Taylor’s career was cut short when a man broke into his home in 2007 and shot him in the leg, an injury which Taylor died from the following day. The suspect, Eric Rivera, was charged with murder in 2014 and sentenced to 57 years in prison, where he remains.
Following Taylor’s passing, NFL teams memorialized him with moments of silence and his jersey number, 21, printed on their helmets. Many of his signature plays and styles are still used by multiple teams to this day. Today, in honor of their late superstar, the Washington Football Team announced that they would be formally retiring the number 21 jersey, stating that “There will never be another 21.”
There will never be another 21 đź’›
On Sunday, we will officially retire Sean Taylor's number
— Washington Football Team (@WashingtonNFL) October 14, 2021
The retirement event will be held this coming Sunday. “The team also will formally commemorate the renaming of the road leading to FedExField as Sean Taylor Road with family and friends of Taylor before the game,” the announcement details explain. Sean Taylor’s family will have the opportunity for a private visit at Taylor’s locker on the Club Level, which has been perfectly preserved from his last game, and will enjoy the game from specially reserved suites.”
Some fans have expressed some discontent at the short notice of the event, to which the team responded, “We apologize to fans who would have liked more notice and will continue to share with fans ways we will be celebrating Sean Taylor’s legacy over the next month.” The team also added that this event had been in planning stages for at least several months.