Robert Griffin III Rips Commanders' Sean Taylor Tribute; Star 'Deserved a Statue'

Robert Griffin III was among those criticizing the memorial the Washington Commanders unveiled Sunday to honor Sean Taylor.

Griffin, who spent three seasons with the Commanders, said the two-time Pro Bowler deserved to have a statue:

Taylor died in November 2007 after he was shot in the leg in the course of a burglary at his home. Only 24 at the time, he was in the middle of his fourth season in the NFL, all of which came in Washington.

Since then, the Commanders have been accused of attempting to capitalize on Taylor's death.

On the 11th anniversary in 2018, the team briefly drew fans' attention to the sale of a plush doll bearing Taylor's likeness. Then came his jersey retirement ceremony in 2021, which was so poorly received it warranted an apology from team president Jason Wright.

Sunday's unveiling will do little to reverse the perception.

Fans thought the memorial installation resembled a mannequin and was handled in a slapdash manner. For example, Taylor didn't wear a Nike jersey when he suited up for the Commanders, but the jersey in his memorial has a Nike swoosh on the sleeve. And that's not the worst of it.

Dan and Tanya Snyder announced Nov. 2 they were exploring the potential sale of the Commanders. Sunday provided another reason why many within the fanbase would welcome a new regime.