The Verdict Is In: GUILTY!

Eric Rivera, the worthless punk who shot and killed former University of Miami football legend Sean Taylor in 2007 during a botched burglary attempt was found guilty today of second degree murder. He was also convicted of burglary and assault while armed.

We are not going to waste any more time or typing on the scum who killed our Hurricane hero. Instead we will post the article that we wrote about ST#26 a several years ago and post every year in April and November on the anniversary of his birth and death in honor of one of the greatest players ever to put on a helmet at The U. We post it today as a result of the verdict being announced:

Sean Michael Maurice Taylor was born in Miami on April 1, 1983.

Perhaps by fate, maybe by coincidence, it was later that same year that the University of Miami, behind a quarterback named Kosar and coach named Schnellenberger, would win their first college football National Championship by beating heavily favored Nebraska in the Orange Bowl.

That game, which put the UM program on the big-time college football map, has often been referred to as the "Miracle in Miami".  Sean's Taylor's birth in April of that year could also be seen as a miracle for what this young man would soon bring to this team and its fans in his home town.

Sean would grow up in a tough South Dade neighborhood and later attend Gulliver High School where he would help them win the Class 2A State Title and become the #1 ranked prep player in the County by the Miami Herald.  Sean was so dominant at this level that he played multiple positions including running back, linebacker and defensive back for that team.

After a spectacular Senior season and a hotly contested recruiting battle for this star athlete, Sean decided to attend the University of Miami.  It would prove to be somewhat ironic that Sean would wind up being one of only four true freshmen to play in 2001 on the Hurricanes fifth National Championship team.

Even at this early stage, Sean's life had seemingly come full circle.  From being born during the Miracle in Miami season of 1983 to contributing to what was arguably the best UM team ever, the Canes 2001 championship team.  Sean Taylor had already become a hometown hero and would soon become a true legend in the 305.

As Junior at UM in 2003, after beating FSU at Doak Campbell Stadium in the pouring rain seemingly all by himself, Sean would win a slew of college football awards.

After that season, Sean decided it was time to take the next step and would opt for the NFL draft. He would be the first of six Canes selected in the first round that year (an NFL record) when he was drafted fifth overall by the Washington Redskins.

By 2006 there was no doubt that Sean Taylor had become the dominant player at his position and was honored by being selected to the NFL Pro-bowl that year.  Nicknamed "Meast" by teammates for being part man, part beast, Sean would become one of the most feared hitters in the NFL.

Entering his third year as a Redskin, Sean seemed to be at the top of his game and the NFL talent pool.  By the tenth week of the NFL season he was tied for the league lead in interceptions and was considered an automatic selection for his second straight Pro-Bowl.

Then came the fateful night of November 26, 2007.

Sean Taylor, while at home asleep with his wife and 18 month-old daughter, awoke to a loud noise in his home.  In an effort to protect his family, Sean confronted the would-be burglars.  He was shot once and would later die from the severe loss of blood as his femoral artery was torn apart by the single bullet.

That night would end the life of a real Hurricane hero.

Sean Taylor's sudden and tragic death shocked his family, friends, teammates and the Hurricane faithful.  When he died the day following the shooting, we promised to never forget his contributions to the University of Miami.

This blog article is our simple way of proving that we have not forgotten Sean Taylor, #26, who played at The U and was proud to wear the orange and green.

Some memories and images never fade.

Even now, if you close your eyes, you can probably still see him, #26 back peddaling into open space, picking off another deep pass, splashing through the rain and the mud at the Doak, weaving down the field behind several blockers, refusing to be denied and diving into the end zone for a pick six.

That is how we will remember Sean Taylor, as a miracle of a man who at times seemed completely capable of beating the other team all by himself.

 

Related articles

Sean Taylor's Legend Lives On

The Birth Of A Man And A Miracle

Sean Taylor murder trial jury deliberations day four

Jury in day 4 of deliberations in Taylor case

Comments

[Ohio_Cane]

RIP, 26!!

[imohamme]

Sean was the “Man” among the boys. RIP # |26|.

[SOUP]

NOW MAY U RIP ST#26.

[Terrance Sullivan]

RIP #26

[Account Deleted]

Top 10...thank you....

and Sean was the best

[Sarasota 'cane]

R.I.P. Sean T.

[fran]

RIP SEAN Taylor
surgery again for me Friday second caroitoid artery .......seventh in last 3 years.
DeBary
Fran

[Ohio_Cane]

Newest Raising Canes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yVbMQY-3Lo

[AfriCane]

Expect Logan Thomas to have a career day vs NOd

Posted by: Sinistercane | November 04, 2013 at 03:35 PM

Sinister, I don't know who your pot dealer is, but I would like his #. That's some good $hit. In the words of the great John McEnroe, 'u cannot be serious.' Either that or u r serious in your state of delusion.
Is it the same LT that commits 4 turnovers a game? The one that couldn't score against Duke's 'vaunted' defense? (& I sincerely mean that in the most sarcastic way). At least Steven Morris will make an NFL team as a QB. LT is a future tight end playing out of position. Drop the Jamaican stuff. Because 'your mind is playing tricks on u homey.'

[UpNorthCane27]

Few things....

Upnorth has not lost his Mojo!!

CANES will grow from this defeat!

CANES will play fsu in the ACCCG, and will WIN!!! (IDC if im the only one riding this bus)!!!

Most importantly.... RIP to my favorite player of all time ST26 now you can rest brotha!!!

[Ohio_Cane]

Few things....

Upnorth has not lost his Mojo!!

CANES will grow from this defeat!

CANES will play fsu in the ACCCG, and will WIN!!! (IDC if im the only one riding this bus)!!!

Most importantly.... RIP to my favorite player of all time ST26 now you can rest brotha!!!

Posted by: UpNorthCane | November 04, 2013 at 04:02 PM
-------------------------------------

1. Thank goodness!

2. YES, they will

3. Damn straight, and U are not alone!

4. Church!

[UpNorthCane27]

glad to have you on board Ohio!!

[Ohio_Cane]

Been on board, UpNorth. Was told to sit in the baggage compartments. Lol

[Sinistercane]

Sinister, I don't know who your pot dealer is, but I would like his #. That's some good $hit. In the words of the great John McEnroe, 'u cannot be serious.' Either that or u r serious in your state of delusion.
Is it the same LT that commits 4 turnovers a game? The one that couldn't score against Duke's 'vaunted' defense? (& I sincerely mean that in the most sarcastic way). At least Steven Morris will make an NFL team as a QB. LT is a future tight end playing out of position. Drop the Jamaican stuff. Because 'your mind is playing tricks on u homey.'
Posted by: NigeianCane | November 04, 2013 at 03:56 PM

Ok let's say your life is in danger and the only thing that can save you is NOd defense repeating Duke's performance vs Logan Thomas. Would you kiss your A$$ goodbye or live to see another day

[WWIN]

Here's the thing I don't get:

1. Let's all accept and acknowledge that FSU has currently accumulated better talent accross the board than Miami.

2. Teams of lesser talent beat teams with greater talent every week in college football.

3. Why couldn't or didn't Miami beat FSU?

Posted by: SOUP | November 04, 2013 at 08:51 AM

You must haven't been by yo local EXCUSES R US lately???If you did you would know that

·We are not suppose to beat teams with more talent than us

·It's okay if we are in dog fights and barely beat teams with less talent as long as we win

· NCAA kept us from getting the top players, except for the ones that WANTED to come here

[WWIN]

^^^^^^^^^^
News flash, 5* CB Jalen Ramsey for fsu, wanted to come to Da U but wasn't recruited, ncaa had nothing to do with it.

[AfriCane]

We beat VT, we go 11-1 & play in the biggest grudge match since Norte dame aka ACCCG

[SOUP]

Was told to sit in the baggage compartments. Lol

Posted by: Ohio_Cane | November 04, 2013 at 04:05 PM

Yeah, but that was then and this is now.

After U snuck in the window of the bus when WWIN wasn't looking U met Beyonce (12% for life!) and got upgraded.

U may not be drivin da bus but U are at least riding shotgun! OF course RCCF still commanding where dis bus goes, and WWIN is still driving it but that story is 4 another day.

[The Dude]

Twenty-six, I've never seen one better.

[RCCF]

Well the 12% Bus Caught a Flat but its still riding to the ACCCG....

12%Still A GREAT CLUB...Regardless of what U Think.. They lost to the 2nd rated team in the nation and ppl are saying they deserve to be #14(daHEDOUBLE)How?? OU lost to UNRANKED TX and didn't drop so bad Im a little confused at the drop that is about all and for the record NO We Did NOT ALL Expect to Lose to No Daggum Semiholes.. 12% NEVER expects to Lose to anyone..

Cane On

12%RCCF

[Texascane]

^^^^

Don't worry about Oklahoma, they get Baylor on Thursday and the Bears are going to hang half a hundred on them.

[BEERicane]

OK will beat Baylor. Book it.

[SOUP]

Baylor will crush OK. Book it.

[Terrance Sullivan]

OK will beat Baylor. Book It.

[SOUP]

allCanesBlog.com ‏@allCanesBlog 1h

Sileo officially gone from 640AM. Another attempt at shock jock behavior goes over like a fart in church costing... http://fb.me/2s9NZnWPM

Chris Yandle ‏@ChrisYandle 1h

As was exemplified today by local media member, THINK BEFORE YOU TWEET. Making poor decisions on social media may result in losing your job.

[SOUP]

Unless of course U do NOT work for the media, then U can say whatever U want, right? LOL

[Terrance Sullivan]

allCanesBlog.com ‏@allCanesBlog 1h

Sileo officially gone from 640AM. Another attempt at shock jock behavior goes over like a fart in church costing... http://fb.me/2s9NZnWPM

Chris Yandle ‏@ChrisYandle 1h

As was exemplified today by local media member, THINK BEFORE YOU TWEET. Making poor decisions on social media may result in losing your job.

Posted by: SOUP | November 04, 2013 at 07:26 PM

SOUP
Unless of course U do NOT work for the media, then U can say whatever U want, right? LOL

Posted by: SOUP | November 04, 2013 at 07:27 PM
Soup U got me in tears laughing mane!

[LA3]

Simply the best ever......#26 is still roaming at football field in heaven!

[SOUP]

Canespace ‏@86Cane 5m

@ChrisYandle I totally agree with U, what Sileo did was wrong. But what if U do NOT work for "The Media" and have 5K people a day reading?

Tee hee, Tee hee...

[Terrance Sullivan]

Looks like I want be coming for the season finale against Virginia on 11/23. So I will have my lower bowl tickets available as well Section 130 Row 23 Seats 1 and 2. Will be asking for 75 dollars for the two tickets. Go Canes! Beat VT!

[MassivCane]

So do you think Golden Al is strongly recommending to D'Oro to apply for the FAR job?

[MassivCane]

**FAU

[BigWindyCane1]

Tsully, email me at [email protected] and let me know if the tix are still available

[CGNC]

Justice for Sean. Why did it take this freaking long?

GO Canes
Beat VT

[Terrance Sullivan]

Will do BigWindyCane1

[86Cane]

NativeCane...Mrs. 86 says she LOVES yo ribs!

Best she ever had in fact. We chowed down on what was left over and there ain't nothing but bones now! LOL

[Terrance Sullivan]

LOL ^^^^^^^^.

[D4-Cane]

Was just casually reading some stuff online about broken/fractured ankles. Doesn't sound good. Depending on the severity of the injury, and if there was tendon or ligament damage, Duke could easily miss time next season, and if that happens he could just walk right into the NFL. Some ankle injuries take almost 2 years to fully recover.

PS: I am not a doctor, just read about it for a few hours on the web on medical sites and through other people's personal experience. Hopefully he has a quick recovery and can be back to full strength by Spring.

[WWIN]

Do you want to be safe and good, or do you want to take a chance and be great?

- Jimmy Johnson

Posted by: Keoki | November 04, 2013 at 02:54 PM

That's what I'm talking about!!!

Get rich or die trying!! Our motto is "get by or die trying". Has to change

[Ohio_Cane]

Duke will miss 8-12 weeks.

I am a doctor.

Ok, no I'm not, I'm just speculating.

[jsy]

Sean Taylor was the finest example of JJ's quote. Thats what made hime the greatest ever.....

[Terrance Sullivan]

I love JJ like everyone else but he was 1 for 3 in National Title Games! So His Way aint be all end all. Hell Schnelly won a title doing it his way but Its funny peeps dont mention him. There is more than one way to skin a cat. Just win baby!

[D4-Cane]

Yea Ohio, they said you only need to be in a cast for approximately 5 weeks after surgery, but any extended use or exertion causes pain and swelling for quite sometime. Some injuries can almost a few years til you are truly 100%.

[Ohio_Cane]

D4, I'm more than confident in UM's doctors and trainers to bring him along just fast enough to be ready for off season workouts going into UTough

[WWIN]

Tsully, you right, its a million ways to skin a cat but you gotta have that motto JJ had LOL. The best team doesn't always win due to many circumstances. Did we lose because of JJ or because of another circumstance?

[Terrance Sullivan]

LOL I love JJ dont get me wrong. I just think what Schnelly did was remarkable and he doesnt get his due. I mean for him to take us from where we were in the late 70's from depressed down in the dumps program that was on the verge to being scrapped to winning the National Title in 5 years was amazing. Then he handed the keys to the Mustang 5.0 to JJ and he did his thang.

[The Dude]

Hester is so electric.

[The Dude]

I injured my ankle in the Navy. I couldn't believe how much an ankle can grow from swelling. It was super duper painful. They told me it was the worst sprain they'd ever seen. I was lucky it didn't break or tear up the ligaments real bad. I was on cruches for like a month and a half. Starting for my Canes on Saturday was out of the question. It took like 5 or 6 months before it really felt normal.

[JCane]

I don't know if anyone has heard anything specific as to the actual ankle injury for Duke. However, all I've heard so far is fracture and going to need surgery after the swelling goes down. For those who want to see some ankle anatomy:

https://www.google.com/search?q=ankle+bones+names&rlz=1T4WQIB_enUS508US508&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=fG54Ur6GEuTesAStkIDgBw&ved=0CD0QsAQ&biw=1024&bih=626

Bottom line is that there are a lot of potential injuries that will simply be referred to as ankle fractures. There's no way to truly know for sure the extent of the injury and then the likely recuperation time/issues without more details. Frankly, we're not entitled to know all of this. Let Duke have some privacy and get a chance to get back on his feet again. Good luck to the young man. A very tough break.

Anyone think Portis will someday join the coaching staff? He sure seems to be getting more involved and assisting with RBs/motivation.

Dalvin Cook, are you out there? Time to move along from G-ville...

[BEERicane]

As I've said earlier, it depends if it is a single malleolar or bi/tri-mallei lair fracture (the dreadful tib/fib). Single malleolar fractures if the joint is stable/can sustain weight bearing, non-operative management could be an option. If higher order fractures are the case then ORIF will almost certainly be the case. Recovery would be long and the rehab/PT possibly longer. Getting back to baseline athleticism would be a lot to ask. This all presumes what they are telling us is correct. Of it's higher on the leg, this would've a much easier road to recovery.