Washington to retire No21 in honor of Taylor

The safety, who died in 2007, becomes the third player in franchise history to have his jersey number officially retired.

The Washington soccer team will retire the jersey number 21 of the late safety Sean Taylor, becoming only the third player in franchise history to receive the honor.

Taylor’s jersey will be retired during a ceremony before Sunday’s home game against the Kansas City Chiefs. The team also announced Thursday that a road leading to the stadium will be renamed “Sean Taylor Road.”

Washington players will also wear a No. 21 decal on their helmets Sunday.

“I came to the NFL the same year as Sean Taylor, and immediately his athletic ability, toughness, toughness and tireless work ethic set him apart. I and many others saw him as a role model,” Washington president Jason Wright said in a statement. “To have him tragically taken from us so prematurely hurt our player community, but also our fans, coaches and staff. We will continue to remember and hold him as an example of professionalism and excellence, and we will all strive to match his excellence in our own way.”

Taylor was shot on Nov. 27, 2007, during an attempted robbery at his Florida home, and subsequently died. According to his teammates and coaches, he was in the midst of his best NFL season at the time of his death, despite being out with an injury, and was named to the All-Pro second team in 2007.

Taylor will join Sammy Baugh (number 33) and Bobby Mitchell (number 49) as the only Washington players to have their jerseys retired. Other numbers such as Darrell Green’s 28, Art Monk’s 81 and John Riggins’ 44 have not been worn since those players retired. All three are in the Hall of Fame.

Washington selected Taylor with the fifth overall pick in 2004. He wore No. 36 during his rookie campaign, but then switched to No. 21 the following year.

Taylor’s combination of size and athleticism made him a unique talent for Washington’s secondary, and his popularity led to several safeties later wearing No. 21. Current Washington safety Landon Collins, who wore No. 21 when he was with the New York Giants, said he hoped Washington would select him because that was the team Taylor played for.