Perhaps like you I was shocked to read that Tabyus Taylor
had been charged with armed robbery and fire arms violations the other day. And
perhaps also like you I wondered how any of our youth, and they all are our
youth, could fall into such a trap with literally the entire world and future
in front of him. It seems a shame, and it is a shame.
His story, as it will play out over the next few months, is
not much different than other great athletes who fall by the wayside and become
the chaff of could have been stories. Regardless of how these events play out,
and judging from the basic information it doesn’t look very positive, Tabyus
may be relegated to the player that might have been. He may serve as an example
along the way for future athletes.
Many years ago, I heard Deion Sanders respond to a
reporter’s question about his flash. How he was Neon Deion, and had the bling,
and had the cars, and had the fancy suits. To me at that time, he was the
proverbial “too much mustard on that hot dog.” But his answer to the reporter
that day completely changed how I felt about Deion as a personality.
It was simple really. Deion told the reporter that the kids
in the neighborhood where he had grown up only had negative role models that showed
success. Just the drug dealers had the cars, the bling, the fancy clothes and
the lifestyle. They didn’t dwell so much on the brevity of their existence.
Deion went on to say that some of what he did, his appearance, his persona was
directed toward those kids. They needed to see an example that there were other
ways to lift yourself out of that kind of environment.
But it doesn’t always work out that way. Around the same
time that Deion came out of Florida State, another player for the Seminoles was
experiencing a much different path. Without naming names, this player was an
undersized running back. He was not drafted and was invited to a camp where he
washed out.
No one can really understand the depths to which a skilled
athlete may succumb; just the spurning along could cause a serious problem. And
so it was with this athlete. Sometime later, he too found his way to the Crime
section of the local paper for robbery.
How these things happen is just a shame. We would like to
hold someone responsible, but that’s pretty hard to do. I am sure that the
coaches and people who come to know these athletes over the years would be more
than happy to help them work through their difficulties, but more often than
not no one is aware there is a problem until it burst forth in a 40-point
headline in the local papers.
Perhaps the story is all wrong and Tabyus really wasn’t
involved with this incident. We can hope that that is the case. But however it
turns out; the community suffers as he suffers. I remember his exploits on the
field of play, football and basketball. Surely his hopes for the future have
taken a hit from these recent developments. It’s time to take a serious
assessment; nothing is beyond salvaging. But the job just got a bit tougher.
Good luck Tabyus, the path you are on is difficult I wish you well.
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