It can be excruciating when a sports star dies in their prime. Numerous active players have been killed in NFL history. Derrick Thomas, a Chiefs sack specialist who died of a blot clot in 2000, and Bengals receiver Chris Henry, who died in a car accident in 2009. Sean Taylor, who was killed in a home invasion, was one of the most tragic NFL deaths.
Unfortunately, the unexpected death of the Redskins safety resulted in serious financial difficulties for his surviving family. Let’s look at Taylor’s NFL career, tragic death, and what happened to his money after he died.
The NFL career of Sean Taylor
Sean Taylor would've turned 37 today.
He left everything on the field … even at the Pro Bowl. (via @NFL) https://t.co/HB7I9kyQ7T
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 1, 2020
Taylor attended the University of Miami for three years before declaring for the NFL draft in 2004. With the combination of his physical prowess, quickness, agility sound instincts, the Redskins selected him with the fifth overall pick. Washington wasted no time in inking him to a six-year deal worth up to $40 million with bonuses.
Taylor started his first two games off the bench before being promoted to the starting lineup in Week 3. He had 78 combined tackles and four interceptions for 85 yards in his rookie season. He had 72 combined tackles in his second year, slightly decreasing from his first.
Taylor made a massive leap in his third season, totaling 114 combined tackles and forcing three fumbles. Taylor was selected for his first Pro Bowl after this performance. It also cemented his reputation as one of the NFL’s most ferocious and hard-hitting players. Most analysts agreed that Taylor was only beginning to realize his full potential.
Sean Taylor’s untimely death
Taylor, sadly, never finished honing his talents. He appeared in nine games during the 2007 season before his untimely death. Taylor noticed strange noises in his house on November 26. He’d only been robbed eight days before. He was quick to confront his intruder this time.
During the confrontation, the intruder shot Taylor in the leg. Taylor’s femoral artery, one of the most important arteries in the leg, was severed, resulting in massive blood loss. After being rushed to the hospital, he was attended to by medical staff, who worked on trying to fix the damage for several hours.
They were ultimately unable to save Taylor’s life. He died the following day, November 27, without regaining consciousness.
Taylor’s family is in financial difficulty.
Taylor had already amassed a substantial fortune by the time of his untimely death. According to Gossip Gist, his net worth was estimated to be around $30 million. However, his estate was only worth about $5.8 million. Taylor had spent lavishly to support his mother and other family members throughout his career.
10 years after the death of Sean Taylor, @Realrclark25 and top NFL safeties explain his influence on the game. https://t.co/fXPiaOuroP
— ESPN (@espn) November 26, 2017
On the other hand, Taylor had never made a formal will, so the vast majority of Taylor’s father received $328,000 from his estate, while his three-year-old daughter Jackie received $328,000 from his estate. Through a joint account with his son. Taylor’s sister also received $650,000 in life insurance proceeds.
On the other hand, Taylor’s mother received nothing — not even any sports memorabilia to sell. Therefore, she could not pay the taxes on the house she purchased with Taylor’s money in 2005. To make matters worse, no other family members stepped forward to share their newly discovered wealth with her. A family feud ensued, and the resentment is likely to linger today.
