Skins to Honor Taylor in Hawaii

What will be our final chance to watch football this season will also probably be the last of a series of tributes for the fallen Sean Taylor. Three of Taylor's Redskin teammates will wear 21 the entire game in his honor.

Hopefully, now the healing process can truly begin for everyone who knew Sean, or for anyone who followed him play throughout his career. His tragic death gave us all a reminder of how short life can be. It hits us harder when a high-profile celebrity meets such a sad end, because part of us sees these guys as invincible.

My hope is that Sean won't be forgotten. People need to remember what he did to save his family, and they mustn't forget the impact he had on those who knew him personally. If anything good came from this, its that some athletes might start protecting themselves a little more. But more importantly, Sean's legacy will be defined by the outpouring of grief and moving tributes to him after his death, not his indiscretions as a young man.

However, as time goes by, I think of Bryan Pata. Sean's death was the one of the worst stories in 2007, but his family can rest easier knowing they have some closure, some answers. Bryan's case remains unsolved, and the longer these things take, the less likely it is they are ever solved. I pray for his family's sake that sometime soon the nightmare will be over for them.