Redskins Rally Around Taylor

Gibbs said he was unaware that Taylor was in Miami until he received a phone call at about 6:30 a.m. yesterday from a team security official who "said Dan [Snyder] wanted to talk to me," Gibbs said. "I was afraid. Anytime I get a phone call that early at the house, for me I have a real concern. It's happened to me before. It's always scary."

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Gibbs said that, as is the case with many injured players, Taylor, who sprained his knee in a 33-25 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Nov. 11 and has missed two games, was excused from attending Sunday's game at Tampa Bay. There were concerns about his knee swelling or getting sore on the flight.

Taylor attended meetings and a walkthrough at Redskins Park on Saturday, and was essentially off until yesterday morning, when the players usually report for meetings and to review film of the previous game.

A week ago, Taylor remained in Northern Virginia, receiving treatment, while the Redskins traveled to Dallas, Gibbs said. However, that Monday morning, Nov. 19, Taylor phoned Gibbs at his office in Redskins Park to tell him his home in Florida had been burglarized and to ask permission to be excused from meetings. Gibbs obliged and when Taylor returned that week, "I thought everything was fine," Gibbs said.

Gibbs did not know if Taylor returned to Florida because of specific concerns with his family. "Our policy ever since I've been here has always been that the medical team tells us what's best for the player," Gibbs said. "And in general, most of the time, what's happened is players are getting treatment and if that's best for them they always stay here."

It has been a difficult year for the Redskins' organization. In January, Gibbs revealed that his grandson, Taylor, 2 at the time, has leukemia. Former linebacker Kevin Mitchell, a much-liked player who still lived in the Ashburn area, died of a cardiac arrest at age 36 in April. In June, Ann Litt, 53, the team nutritionist, suffered a ruptured bowel and also died suddenly.

Before Gibbs and Williams spoke yesterday, players one after another stepped in front of microphones, saying they were praying for good news, while additional media members joined reporters who usually cover the team and TV satellite trucks moved into position in the complex parking lot.

"You never want to enter a team meeting, you never think about entering a team meeting as a football team, addressing an issue that is way bigger than this game of football," safety Pierson Prioleau said. "Just as a team right now, as an organization, this is bigger than football. . . . This is not just a member of the Washington Redskins, but we're talking about a dad, a brother, a friend of ours. And that's where we're at with this right now. We're just . . . our prayers go out directly to Sean and his family. That's where we're at as a football team right now."

Staff writer Jason La Canfora contributed to this report.