The Washington Commanders have announced that they will erect a new statue in honor of late franchise star Sean Taylor.
Wait a minute, didn’t they do this a few years ago??
They did, but they botched it so badly that they now overshadow the first statue, which was a modern art installation rather than a traditional statue.
In 2022 – before the team was sold to current owner Josh Harris – the Commanders unveiled a memorial to Taylor, who spent four seasons with the team before being killed in a tragic home invasion in 2007. The memorial, however, consisted of little more than a few wire coat hangers with a jersey on them and a helmet on top.
The original Sean Taylor memorial at Commanders Field was unveiled in 2022. (Photo by John McDonnell/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Of course it’s the thought that counts, but this looks like something you would put in the window of a sporting goods store.
Fans have been critical of the memorial from the moment it was unveiled for a variety of reasons, including the fact that the original version did not even use a period-appropriate Reebok jersey, but rather a version branded with the Nike name.
This was eventually corrected and Taylor’s signature band was added to the face mask, but now it has been announced that Taylor will be getting a real statue.
“I am pleased to join the Washington Commanders in announcing plans to unveil a statue in honor of my father,” said Jackie Taylor, Taylor’s daughter, in a video released by the team. “I am grateful to Josh Harris and the Commanders family for their continued commitment to keeping my father’s legacy alive. I look forward to sharing plans in the future and learning more about my father through this process.”
“I am forever grateful for the overwhelming love and support of this special fan base. I am overjoyed to know that my dad will forever be a part of the burgundy and gold family.”
It’s nice to see the team getting it right after they messed up spectacularly almost two years ago.
