Sean Taylor's Murder and the Black KKK

In CNN's story about the Sean Taylor murder, it's a shocking ending to what was a senseless act of violence.

Remember Arizona Cardinals cornerback Antrel Rolle's comments that Taylor had a lot of enemies on the streets and he strongly doubted this was a random shooting? I, and many other people, took that as damming evidence that something much more premeditated happened at Sean Taylor's Miami home than just a burglary gone awry. I was quick to criticize the Miami-Dade police for not releasing information about this incident on a regular basis. A spokesman for the department told people that this crime did not appear to be premeditated. We doubted him. It just didn't sound right. The Miami-Dade police had it right and deserve kudos. I was wrong to listen to Rolle, a long-time friend of Taylor's

The four suspects, two who have allegedly confessed, are charged with unpremeditated murder. All four have prior arrests for crimes such as selling drugs, theft, and driving infractions. Police said Charles Wardlow, Eric Rivera, Venjah Hunter and Jason Mitchell didn't know Taylor was home. When Taylor surprised them at his bedroom front door with a machete, he was shot.

Eric Rivera, according to the Associated Press, apparently had a myspace page. I cannot find it, but when you type in Eric Rivera and his nickname "$Mr. FLorida$" it's no surprise you get a few profiles of some seriously angry black men, some holding automatic weapons and plastering the "N" word all over the page. Several people with the same name have posted messages asking people to stop sending them mail because they are not the "Eric Rivera."

Headline: "NO! I did not kill Sean Taylor, that was unfortunately another Eric Rivera in Florida. Can I please stop getting messages?"

Remember NFL-FOX writer Jason Whitlock's piece on the Black KKK? The article now has an editor's note: This column originally appeared Wednesday, two days before Friday's arrests of four men in the shooting death of Sean Taylor. Mr. Whitlock was heavily criticized for that article, and others that have a similar theme. The criticism is misdirected. He hit a nerve with the general public because most people shun the truth because it hurts too much. Will people still attack Mr. Whitlock for his prophetic article?

Taylor's murder is a tragedy that will affect the NFL's image and the Washington Redskins for many years. An omen of sorts, the 'badass' images many football players, and even worse NBA basketball players, try to portray is getting old. The rap society has gone berserk with violence and it's spreading across America. Rivera's Web page was proof of this poison. His photographs showed him lying on a bed draped in $100 bills as he fanned a wad of dough. His page was wallpapered with money signs.

I am tired of this anger. And I don't think the The National Association of Black Journalists should be telling me that because I am white, I have no right to write about this subject because I don't get it. I'm tired of this argument. You live a good, peaceful life, and work hard, then you won't run into any trouble. But when your own race is knocking of one another, how is it that I don't get it? Obviously, they don't get it.

Sean Taylor Murder Creates Black KKK Argument by a Black Realist Journalist

Although the Miami-Dade police believe Sean Taylor's death is a random act of violence, one of his friends disagrees.

Arizona Cardinals cornerback Antrel Rolle says in this article that Sean Taylor had many enemies on the streets of Miami. Scary, ain't it?

"This was not the first incident," Rolle said. "They've been targeting him for three years now." Rolle said many former "friends" had it in for Taylor, who was trying to build a more stable life.

Rolle says this was not a burglary or a random act of violence. This was a calculated murder by those envious of Taylor's success. Rolle and Taylor grew up together in Miami. Oddly, both their fathers were police officers. Rolle said Taylor lived in fear.

But why?

NFL-FOX writer Jason Whitlock believes he has the answers in this controversial article. I think what makes this article controversial is that it's written by a black man. Whitlock says the Black KKK killed Taylor. Here's a snippet from this powerful article:

When the traditional, white KKK lynched, terrorized and intimidated black folks at a slower rate than its modern-day dark-skinned replacement, at least we had the good sense to be outraged and in no mood to contemplate rationalizations or be fooled by distractions. Our new millennium strategy is to pray the Black KKK goes away or ignores us. How's that working? About as well as the attempt to shift attention away from this uniquely African-American crisis by focusing on an alleged injustice the white media allegedly perpetrated against Sean Taylor.

Whitlock, a realist and intelligent man, cites a column by a less intelligent man trying to make a name for himself here. Just his leading sentence is enough to make me sick:

The shooting death of Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor has left some African American sportswriters concerned that coverage by their predominantly white colleagues will unfairly emphasize negative aspects of Taylor's past.

Jesus dude, get a grip. White journalists aren't out to emphasize negative aspects of Taylor's "past." This guy fails to realize that Taylor's past is his LIFE. The Boston Globe's Gregory Lee, another goofball, says white journalists shouldn't be writing about this murder because we don't get it.

"Don't speak or write on things you don't know. What I mean by that is often times when sports turns into social issues, most don't get it and don't have the background to speak about it. The only thing they can go off is stereotypical images of rap videos or watching New Jack City."

Come on, Lee!!! Are you kidding me? What Lee is saying is the white journalists ought to mind their business and forget about Taylor's criminal, violent past because they don't have black skin, they don't understand rap music, and they watch too much television.

The National Association of Black Journalists is getting real silly. This group says the media shouldn't be writing about Taylor's laundry list of crime because it's really not relevant to his murder. And tackling isn't relevant to football, guys. Again, this is silly.

I don't know what you guys are buying, but I don't think Whitlock is trying to sell anything. I can't say the same for the rest I cited in this post.

RIP Sean Taylor. I hope the Miami-Dade police find your killer and bring him to justice.

UPDATE: My favorite Dallas Cowboys blog is debating Whitlock's article now. Good timing.