SPORTS HOMICIDES RAGING OUT OF CONTROL

We obviously know Sean Taylor has had a very troubled past (we even referred to him as "Teflon Sean" - yes, that's another Jay-Z rip-off).

But at this time, it appears he was a victim of a random act of violence. Currently he is listed in critical condition with the Washington Post's Jason La Canfora reporting Taylor is fighting for his life.

Here are the victims of sports homicides we can think of off the top of our head. We haven't found anything like this except notable sports deaths on Wikipedia. Hopefully it will help put the epidemic in perspective.

Football
Darrent Williams (Denver Broncos): Jan. 1, 2007
Bryan Pata (University of Miami): Nov. 7, 2006
Taylor Bradford (University of Memphis): Sept. 30, 2007
Fred Lane (Carolina Panthers): July 6, 2000*

Basketball
Patrick Dennehy (Baylor University): June 2003
Ryan Francis (USC): May 13, 2006

And that's even mentioning the following
- Duquesne basketball team shooting last year
- Brandon Meriweather's shootout at Miami last year
- Michigan's Markus Curry and Carl Diggs getting shot in 2002
- Antoine Walker, Eddy Curry and Dunta Robinson getting held at gun point in their homes
- Paul Pierce stabbed 11 times in 2000

* Lane was shot and killed by his wife which is obviously a very unusual circumstance

"Alarming" is obviously a massive understatement. Not to justify it, but as Seth Wickersham recently wrote, now you know why Tank Johnson is strapped at all times. Let's hope Sean pulls through and something is done to stop all this immediately.