The Washington Football Team will retire the late Sean Taylor's jersey number, 21, during a pre-game ceremony ahead of Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs at FedEx Field, the team announced on Thursday morning.
Taylor was tragically murdered in Nov. 2007 at his home in Miami, Florida while he was away from the team recovering from an injury. He was just 24.
Washington says Taylor's family will join the team on the field for a pre-game ceremony in which Taylor's contributions to the team will be remembered alongside the retirement of his jersey number, only the third time in franchise history that a jersey number will be officially retired.
Many fans immediately expressed outrage over the timing of Washington's announcement of the tribute, frustrated they weren't given more advanced notice to allow for ample time to attend the game.
Though it's unclear why Washington didn't make the announcement sooner, according to Matthew Paras of The Washington Times, a Washington spokesperson said the team has been planning the tribute to Taylor for months. The spokesperson also said the team plans to celebrate Taylor's legacy over the course of the next month.
Several reporters who cover Washington have expressed their own personal opinions on the matter.
Washington selected Taylor fifth overall out of Miami in 2004.
Taylor wore No. 36 during his rookie season but switched to No. 21 in 2005.
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