Proof that it’s a Canes thing…

Sean Taylor was buried Monday morning and the three hour ceremony shouldn’t even be considered a funeral. It was an absolute celebration of life. I’ve never witnessed anything like it.

As private as Taylor was, the young man was front page, nationwide news for three hours on Monday. For a few hours it seemed all the media’s slandering of this kid was erased and his good name restored. Every ounce of negativity was wiped clean with that 180 minute outpouring of goodness.

Stereotypes of a black male misunderstood, but it’s still all good.

Biggie Smalls penned the lyrics. Ironically I heard “Juicy” on an iPod playlist at the gym Monday morning prior to the funeral. The words replayed in my head as I witnessed ‘The Real Life and Times of Sean Taylor’ unfold in a FIU’s packed Pharmed Arena.

The media misunderstood what proved to be a stand up kid – but with the show of love from thousands of loved ones, friends and fans – it was still all good. The truth was spoken.

Dan Le Batard wrote a strong piece regarding what we refer to as the U Family. He commended Miami Football Alumni for their presence which was felt Monday. He let it it be known the efforts these kids went through to honor a fallen brother less than 24 hours after leaving it all on the field for the NFL on Sunday.

Most of the media chose to name-drop faces in the crowd like O.J. Simpson or Andy Garcia, uncle to Jackie Garcia, Taylor’s high school sweetheart. The national version of the story needed some A-list names to grab the attention of the masses.

I don’t write this blog for that crowd.

My calling here is to point out and acknowledge the “A-list Canes” who found a way to be in Miami come hell or high water. They weren’t missing this for the world. I want to acknowledge them out one-by-one here. Bear with me.

Baraka Atkins. Jon Beason. Kareem Brown. Philip Buchanan. Vernon Carey. Najeh Davenport. Bubba Franks. Frank Gore. Orien Harris. Devin Hester. Edgerrin James. Kelly Jennings. Andre Johnson. William Joseph. Marcus Maxey. Jerome McDougle. Rocky McIntosh. Bryant McKinnie. Santana Moss. Sinorice Moss. Chris Myers. Greg Olsen. Buck Ortega. Roscoe Parrish. Clinton Portis. Antrel Rolle. Jeremy Shockey. Jonathan Vilma. Reggie Wayne. D.J. Williams.

Those are just your current NFLers, give our take a few. How about some former players?

Robert Bailey. Micheal Barrow. James Burgess. Jason Geathers. Carlos Joseph. Javon Nanton. Chris Napoli. Jon Peattie. Jeff Popovich. Mike Rumph. Ethenic Sands. Brandon Sebald. Greg Threat. Carl Walker Jr. Jarrell Weaver.

Throw in the coach who recruited #26 (Butch Davis), his former head coach (Larry Coker) and his former defensive coordinator (Randy Shannon) and you find me a stronger bond in sports than the U Family. Ain’t gonna happen.

Upwards of thirty former Canes currently in the NFL made the trek back to the 305 to pay their respects. A few Seahawks and a 49er. A Jet, some Cardinals and Texan. The Brothers Moss. A Colt, two Bears, two Broncos, a Viking and a Giant. You weren’t stopping this crew, unless they were playing Monday night like Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Willis McGahee, Brandon Meriweather and Vince Wilfork.

Even with that, the Canes on the field for the Pats and Ravens wore their pain on their faces and found a way to honor their fallen brother come game time.

Hell, I believe if Kevin Everett could’ve gotten a doctor’s note, I bet he’d have left physical therapy and been in the thick of it with at least fifty former Canes, a slew of current ones and the past three Miami head coaches. Not to mention adopted U Family members like Chad Johnson, Plaxico Burress and LaVar Arrington – guys either with Miami ties or part of the NFL crew who heads south in the off-season to train at The U.

I’m sorry, but you don’t get that kind of a turnout if you’re a ‘bad seed’. Dozens of folks don’t get up and speak in such a heartfelt manner about a perceived ‘thug’. Sean’s funeral was a three-hour effusion of love and proof that Taylor was a good seed. The media couldn’t have been more wrong about this kid if they tried.

Family and friends didn’t hesitate to use this forum to give it right back to the sportswriting community for jumping to premature conclusions. Judge not lest ye be judged yourself, Michael Wilbon and Colin Cowherd. Your big mouths and rush to judgement ruined your reputations in the eyes of many.

Pathetic as it is, we live in a world where headlines are more important than the story or the truth. Better to falsely accuse and ask for forgiveness later than to miss the opportunity to sensationalize. Welcome to Journalism: 101 in the modern era.

Easier to label someone a thug, call it retaliation and blame everything on a so-called shady past. Give it that ‘Dateline’ tale-of-revenge angle day one instead of having the respect to let the real story surface and the truth present itself.

These vultures didn’t even have the respect to wait until the body is at least in the ground before their smear campaign.

Godforbid the first story the nation heard was the truth; that Taylor died a hero.

The only news we deserved to hear was that this 24-year old kid most likely saved the lives of his girlfriend and daughter, not backing down to four or five legitimate thugs who broke into his home and put his family in harm’s way.

The truth always comes out. I just never expected so much so fast. In the matter of a week, the world lost Sean Taylor, the scumbag killers were taken down and the battle of good versus evil was temporarily won when the media was embarrassed by the truth surfacing while they were still piling on and questioning Taylor’s character.

The media’s foot remains in mouth, eating their collective shoe right now. Hopefully in time this lesson in humility will cause some loudmouthed, opinionated egomaniacs to think before speaking.

It’s a Canes thing. We all say it, bleed the orange and green and if we’re in the know, we completely get ‘it’. Most media folk don’t get it and never will. Nor do most opposing fans. “The U” has become a trite marketing cliche. Outsiders are sick of hearing it, but they need to know there’s something to the phrase. Respect it.

These guys don’t come back to Coral Gables in the off-season for the weather, weight room or sandpit. They return for the camaraderie. Their NFL cohorts see the bonds their new teammates have with their Miami brothers from the past. They see the love and they want a piece.

Ask any Cane in the league which bond is stronger – the ones with their current team or their ties to The U. It’s a no brainer.

An army of Canes headed home Monday to pay tribute to a fallen soldier. It was their duty. In battle on Sunday and straight to their nearest airport to put a brother in the dirt within hours of that clock hitting 0:00.

The fraternity of Miami Football rarely gets the credit it deserves. I want to give it to them. The U earns its fare share of criticism. When something goes wrong, the critics can’t wait to pile on – be it Taylor, Bryan Pata or an on the field brawl. The Canes are oft referred to as thugs – but bad seeds don’t turn out in droves, showing the love and proving their loyalty like these kids did on Monday.

If the media is going to kick the Canes when they’re down, you better damn well praise them at a time like this. It goes both ways.

I’ve followed this program religiously for 25 of the past 33 years of my life. I’ve seen five national championships won and equally as many lost. I’ve seen these kids display heart on countless occasions and I’m already as proud of a Miami fan as you’ll find.

All that said, I’ve never been more honored to be a Cane than on Monday and I’ve never been more proud of our kids than their efforts to make their presence felt at Taylor’s funeral.

God bless the Taylor family, Jackie Garcia and Sean’s daughter Jackie. Their future life was stolen by a bullet and will no longer play out as it should’ve. No one deserves that tragedy.

On top of that, God bless this University of Miami’s football fraternity. A bond stronger than all and deserving of more credit than it receives.

Rest in peace, Sean.

.:Canes305:.

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