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For the second time in 11 months, the murder of a 24-year-old player has a grieving league considering anew how players should go about their daily lives and better protect themselves following the shooting death of Washington Redskins Pro Bowl safety Sean Taylor.
So gifted, so young and so strong, yet so vulnerable.
It is a description of Taylor, a rising star shot and killed by the intruders he confronted in a bid to protect his girlfriend and 18-month-old daughter inside his Miami-area home.
Gifted, young, strong and vulnerable would also aptly describe Denver Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams, gunned down in a New Year's Day drive-by shooting in which no one has been charged.
Williams followed precautions recommended by league officials when going out on the town — taking a limousine accompanied by a support group of teammates and friends; he retreated when trouble began among his group and suspected gang members inside a Denver night club.
Still, it wasn't enough to avert tragedy.
But Taylor's death is especially chilling because he was inside his own bedroom when would-be burglars took a young father committed to returning to the University of Miami in January to complete his education.
"We have to learn from this," says former New York Jets running back Curtis Martin, 34, who aspires to own an NFL team. "At 24, there was so much life still ahead for Sean."
Martin retired in July as the league's fourth-leading rusher.
The reflective Martin has embraced a mentorship role to young players across the league, his way of repaying his own good fortune after surviving the gangs of Homewood, a violent section of Pittsburgh where Martin estimates he's attended 30-35 funerals of family members and friends since finding his grandmother stabbed to death following a break-in when he was 9.
Martin hopes to show young players it is not only possible to change but to strive for a higher standard.
"I just think we need a lot of leadership, because in the NFL many of us come from very hard backgrounds and very hard environments," Martin said from Miami, where he lives part time. "Some of us have a hard time separating from where we're at and where we come from. I'm not saying that's what happened to Sean in this case.
"But I know I struggled with separating from where I came from when I came into the league. As a player, you have to think about leaving your past behind."
Four men have been charged with unpremeditated murder in Taylor's death.
"The respect for life and the respect for oneself just isn't what it used to be in society," says Martin, who attended Taylor's funeral. "It's more so a survival-of-the-fittest mentality in many of the neighborhoods where many NFL players come from."
Taylor's home was broken into eight days prior to his murder. Arizona Cardinals cornerback and Taylor's former Miami Hurricanes teammate, Antrel Rolle, said Taylor was scared to be in Miami, where he was rehabilitating a knee injury and where, according to Rolle, he perceived himself a target.
More than ever, players must be wary about where they go and whom they allow into their lives and homes.
"People are envious of us," says Cleveland Browns tight end Kellen Winslow II, another of Taylor's former collegiate teammates. "The best advice is to walk away. But in his case, Sean couldn't. He was protecting his home.
"He wasn't with the right crowd when he was younger. But after the birth of his daughter, he was trying to get away from that.
"He was growing up. He was trying to be a man and take care of his family."
Taylor's murder hit Browns return ace Josh Cribbs hard. "Sean was the same age as me," Cribbs says. "You think, 'What do we do now as players?'
"For guys to actually come at us, that's the scary thing. We're being pursued now. They see all this flashy money. And they want that.
"I've been nonchalant about locking our doors and turning the security system on all the time. I'm thinking about having security cameras installed as well."
Security cameras seem a safer alternative than guns.
"We have to protect ourselves," Cribbs says. "A lot of guys probably are thinking about getting guns because we're being pursued. You just hate to see that, because a percentage of guys will do things that probably won't help them."
Can tragedies like this be avoided?
"One of the things that really helped me when I got into the NFL was I made up my mind that I would not allow where I came from to hinder me from going forward," Martin says. "I looked at it as my once-in-a-lifetime chance to escape where I came from. I've always stayed in touch with many of those from where I came from. But those situations and people who could hinder me, I made sure to separate from.
"I said to myself, 'I'm going to focus myself for 10 years and if I focus for 10 years, I could have a situation I could be proud of.' "
Martin attempts to influence change through his foundation and by encouraging young players such as third-year Browns receiver Braylon Edwards, who pledged $1 million to award $10,000 college grants to 100 eighth-grade Cleveland-area students who must maintain specific academic and community service standards.
It is the seemingly sensible way to help, "Kill the idea of killing," as the Reverend Jesse Jackson implored those attending Taylor's memorial service Monday.
"We're out of control as a society, and some kids grow up in horrible situations," Edwards says. "All they see and all they know is parents doing the wrong thing; parents might not be there, and they grow up on the streets — that's their family. Their family is out robbing people. And as they get older, that's all they know, that's all they respect.
"What the commissioner (Roger Goodell) said was, 'We have to catch these kids early.' "
Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy told reporters: "Somehow we have to make life a little more sacred, a little more valuable than we're tending to make it right now."
For the second time in 11 months, the murder of a 24-year-old player has a grieving league considering anew how players should go about their daily lives and better protect themselves following the shooting death of Washington Redskins Pro Bowl safety Sean Taylor.
So gifted, so young and so strong, yet so vulnerable.
It is a description of Taylor, a rising star shot and killed by the intruders he confronted in a bid to protect his girlfriend and 18-month-old daughter inside his Miami-area home.
Gifted, young, strong and vulnerable would also aptly describe Denver Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams, gunned down in a New Year's Day drive-by shooting in which no one has been charged.
Williams followed precautions recommended by league officials when going out on the town — taking a limousine accompanied by a support group of teammates and friends; he retreated when trouble began among his group and suspected gang members inside a Denver night club.
Still, it wasn't enough to avert tragedy.
But Taylor's death is especially chilling because he was inside his own bedroom when would-be burglars took a young father committed to returning to the University of Miami in January to complete his education.
"We have to learn from this," says former New York Jets running back Curtis Martin, 34, who aspires to own an NFL team. "At 24, there was so much life still ahead for Sean."
Martin retired in July as the league's fourth-leading rusher.
The reflective Martin has embraced a mentorship role to young players across the league, his way of repaying his own good fortune after surviving the gangs of Homewood, a violent section of Pittsburgh where Martin estimates he's attended 30-35 funerals of family members and friends since finding his grandmother stabbed to death following a break-in when he was 9.
Martin hopes to show young players it is not only possible to change but to strive for a higher standard.
"I just think we need a lot of leadership, because in the NFL many of us come from very hard backgrounds and very hard environments," Martin said from Miami, where he lives part time. "Some of us have a hard time separating from where we're at and where we come from. I'm not saying that's what happened to Sean in this case.
"But I know I struggled with separating from where I came from when I came into the league. As a player, you have to think about leaving your past behind."
Four men have been charged with unpremeditated murder in Taylor's death.
"The respect for life and the respect for oneself just isn't what it used to be in society," says Martin, who attended Taylor's funeral. "It's more so a survival-of-the-fittest mentality in many of the neighborhoods where many NFL players come from."
Taylor's home was broken into eight days prior to his murder. Arizona Cardinals cornerback and Taylor's former Miami Hurricanes teammate, Antrel Rolle, said Taylor was scared to be in Miami, where he was rehabilitating a knee injury and where, according to Rolle, he perceived himself a target.
More than ever, players must be wary about where they go and whom they allow into their lives and homes.
"People are envious of us," says Cleveland Browns tight end Kellen Winslow II, another of Taylor's former collegiate teammates. "The best advice is to walk away. But in his case, Sean couldn't. He was protecting his home.
"He wasn't with the right crowd when he was younger. But after the birth of his daughter, he was trying to get away from that.
"He was growing up. He was trying to be a man and take care of his family."
Taylor's murder hit Browns return ace Josh Cribbs hard. "Sean was the same age as me," Cribbs says. "You think, 'What do we do now as players?'
"For guys to actually come at us, that's the scary thing. We're being pursued now. They see all this flashy money. And they want that.
"I've been nonchalant about locking our doors and turning the security system on all the time. I'm thinking about having security cameras installed as well."
Security cameras seem a safer alternative than guns.
"We have to protect ourselves," Cribbs says. "A lot of guys probably are thinking about getting guns because we're being pursued. You just hate to see that, because a percentage of guys will do things that probably won't help them."
Can tragedies like this be avoided?
"One of the things that really helped me when I got into the NFL was I made up my mind that I would not allow where I came from to hinder me from going forward," Martin says. "I looked at it as my once-in-a-lifetime chance to escape where I came from. I've always stayed in touch with many of those from where I came from. But those situations and people who could hinder me, I made sure to separate from.
"I said to myself, 'I'm going to focus myself for 10 years and if I focus for 10 years, I could have a situation I could be proud of.' "
Martin attempts to influence change through his foundation and by encouraging young players such as third-year Browns receiver Braylon Edwards, who pledged $1 million to award $10,000 college grants to 100 eighth-grade Cleveland-area students who must maintain specific academic and community service standards.
It is the seemingly sensible way to help, "Kill the idea of killing," as the Reverend Jesse Jackson implored those attending Taylor's memorial service Monday.
"We're out of control as a society, and some kids grow up in horrible situations," Edwards says. "All they see and all they know is parents doing the wrong thing; parents might not be there, and they grow up on the streets — that's their family. Their family is out robbing people. And as they get older, that's all they know, that's all they respect.
"What the commissioner (Roger Goodell) said was, 'We have to catch these kids early.' "
Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy told reporters: "Somehow we have to make life a little more sacred, a little more valuable than we're tending to make it right now."
