Continued Journalistic Stumbling...

The Sean Taylor murder precipitated a great deal of controversy due to the rush to judgment and insensitivity displayed by several writers. Weeks after the initial stumbling, another writer has demonstrated a failed grasp of the issue. This time, the issue is the continued inspiration the players and staff of the Redskins drew from Taylor's passing. John McGrath of the Tacoma News Tribune offers a commentary on his fatigue at the projection of the loss of Taylor onto multiple aspects of the Redskins streak of four wins to end the season, specifically the importance several players placed on the 21 point margin of victory over the Cowboys in the final week of the regular season, along with their continued inclusion of Taylor as a starter on their official depth chart. A columnist residing on the opposite coast, with no direct relationship with any member of the Redskins organization, likely has little perspective on the relationships between the Redskins and Sean Taylor nor on the profound impact Taylor's death had on the locker room. Several writers for the Washington Post, who reside on the Redskins beat, had offered comments on the fact that the Redskins, particularly those who were close to Taylor, truly believed that Taylor impacted and affected their performance.

While McGrath is offering an opinion in his article, it seems to be a simple manifestation of his own personal fatigue over the issue rather than a researched column that has any basis in fact demonstrating the use of Taylor as a martyr by the Redskins organization, which is what McGrath seems to imply with a lack of sensitivity that is reminiscent of the early days after Taylor's murder.