Quarterback Jason Campbell spoke with Redskins.com and media about the passing of Sean Taylor:
Q: How did you find out about Sean Taylor's passing?
"Monday, after I woke up, someone called me early in the morning and told me Sean had been shot and he was in critical condition. At the time, I didn't know how critical it was. Then we got over here and they were telling us he had lost so much blood. It was really a life and death situation. That's when you really start to break down about it. You really start praying as a group, as a team, individually. Once Monday night came, I called Vinny Cerrato because I he was down there in Miami, and he told me he had some good news for me, that Sean was responding to the nurse, he was able to grab the nurse's hand. He was making facial expressions. He had sneezed. They said that was big. That really uplifted my spirits. I started calling teammates, [Chris] Cooley and London [Fletcher]. Just telling them we have some good news about Sean. Then you wake up Tuesday morning, somebody called me at 5:30 a.m. I looked over at the phone, and [you realize] there are either two things it could be. You're kind of scared to answer the phone. You're hoping they're calling you saying Sean had woken up, then there's the other side that he didn't make it. I didn't want to answer the phone. Around about 7:30 a.m., people just kept calling, kept calling. So then I decided to pick up the phone and t one of my best friends told me that Sean had passed away. That's when it really took a toll on me. Your spirits had got uplifted that he was going to make it through and just as soon as we thought that, the next morning, hours later, he had passed away."
Q: Do you have a special memory of Sean Taylor?
A: "I just remember Sean after one game, I can't remember what game it was this year, but I was just sitting over there at my locker, I was kind of upset about the game. I just remember him coming over and just giving me encouraging words saying, 'Just keep your head up. You're doing great. Things are going to work out for us. Just keep going, keep going. Things are going to turn.' He was always the guy that was very encouraging. He cared about other people, other players. He was a hard worker, one of the hardest working guys on our team. He was always staying after practice. The reason it is so hard is because he was like a brother. You were always communicating with him. Sean was a guy, he would only communicate with very few people and I was lucky enough to be one of those people that he communicated with. I can just remember some days after practice I used to throw balls to him. I would drop back and he would want me to throw the long ball and he would try to run to it and see how close he could get to intercepting it. He was just a tremendous athlete, a tremendous player. He had a lot of passion."
Q: What do you think when you pass by Sean's locker?
"He is a brother. When we walk by it, we always remember Sean. Just to remember Sean, just seeing his face, just talking and smiling. The guy that is running around making plays on the field. Over time, you'll be healed, but it's still always tough. Still a tough situation. We're growing with it because we're more concerned with his family at this time and how they're feeling. We're just trying to be there for them and after they came up and spoke to us [at a team meeting] it really gave a little relief to us, like you can live your life. At the same time, we have to [play football] for Sean and be there for Sean and be passionate for him."
Q: What is Sean's legacy after this tragedy?
"I think this has affected the whole United States. You're talking about a lot of little kids that knew and admired Sean Taylor, and had the Sean Taylor jersey. You don't see many safeties like Sean. He was ready to be one of the best to ever play the game. He was getting to that point. It was exciting to see him play back there. He was either going to give someone a hard lick or he was going to come up with the ball. That was always the case with him back there. [His death] affected all my friends. All my friends have called me. They were upset and crying about the situation. My mom and dad were real passionate about the whole situation. I talked to them numerous times. It didn't just affect our team. It affected a lot of pro athletes: pro football, pro basketball, pro baseball."
