Antrel Rolle still feels Taylor's loss

LANDOVER, Md. – The photo remains on display in the living room of Antrel Rolle’s suburban Miami home to this day.

The Giants’ safety does not recall how it initially ended up there, but he believes his older sister, Alexia, is responsible for its placement.

The memories captured in that frame flood back at the first mention of its significance.

Antrel Rolle and Sean Taylor together, then 14-year-old football stars of the eighth-grade Florida City Razorbacks, future All-Americans for the University of Miami and first-round NFL draft picks selected in the Top 8 in consecutive years.

"He’s the best teammate I’ve ever had," Rolle said. "I tell everyone that to this day. He’s the best teammate I’ve ever had. I looked up to him as a player. He had my back; I had his back."

Nearly seven years have passed since Taylor was shot and killed at the age of 24 in a burglary at his home. The NFL Network will air a one-hour, NFL Films-produced documentary Friday night on the life and legacy of Taylor, enshrined as one of the greatest players in franchise history despite playing just three seasons as a professional with the Redskins.

Rolle spoke with The Record about the impact Taylor had on him and the emotion he promises will be overwhelming from the moment he and the Giants step inside FedEx Field for tonight’s nationally-televised showdown with the Redskins.

"Every time I walk in that stadium, there’s no question I feel him there," Rolle said. "The Ring of Fame, everywhere his name is, I make sure I find it. Every time I get to that stadium, I make sure I pray that I represent his number, represent the home, represent what we called ‘the crib,’ and tell him to look out for me, make sure he keeps me safe and injury-free, and allows me to go out and play ball the way we always did."

Rolle and Taylor played youth football together as 6-year-olds with the Homestead Hurricanes. Not only did they share uncommon skill and a passion for the game, the bond was strengthened under the watchful eye of their fathers, both police chiefs of neighboring small-towns.

"It’s where I really learned what chemistry means. The chemistry we had as teammates was phenomenal," Rolle said. "We never had to say a word, yet we were always on the same page."

Rolle and Taylor both wore No. 21 coming out of college. But when the former signed with the Giants in 2010 as a free agent, he chose to wear Taylor’s No. 26 from their days at Miami in honor of his late teammate.

"To me, it never seems like he’s gone. Seems like he’s on a long vacation, it doesn’t seem real even now," Rolle said. "I mean, you lose a lot of people in your life, a lot of loved ones, a lot of family members, but for some reason, this one definitely sticks out more than the majority of my family members. This is one that was very, very, very hard to swallow. I still haven’t been able to swallow it."

Rolle remembers being in Arizona preparing for the Cardinals’ game against Cleveland when he received the phone call with the stunning news about Taylor from his mother, Armelia.

He played with a heavy heart that Sunday and made sure he was on a plane back to Miami immediately after the game for Taylor’s memorial service the following day.

"We didn’t have a day-to-day relationship or even a month-to-month relationship [once they got to the NFL]. Just knowing that he was OK was good enough for me," Rolle said. "And when that got taken away, it put a lot of things in perspective. You never anything for granted. We started together and I still represent 26 for him. I try to be the best player I can be and make myself proud, make my family proud and make him proud, too."


(northjersey.com)