Probe Begins in Taylor's Death

Because Taylor was rehabilitating a knee injury, he had been excused from Sunday's game in Tampa.

The police "are looking at the similarities between both incidents," Zabaleta, the police spokesman, said.

Friends speculated that Taylor died of blood loss, because he suffered a wound to his femoral artery and lost a lot of blood. Pedro Taylor said the family had been optimistic Monday night because Sean Taylor had responded to doctors' requests to squeeze their hands. At one point, Pedro Taylor and Garcia entered the waiting room with two doctors and told the estimated 100 friends and family members there that Sean Taylor had also made facial movements, all of which was considered to be a sign that he had not suffered brain damage, according to one person in the waiting room, which erupted in celebration.

But Sean Taylor never regained consciousness. Pedro Taylor said doctors told them early Tuesday morning "that something had occurred and Sean had gotten weaker."

The next update, Pedro Taylor said, was that his son had "regressed."

A little while later, Taylor said, the doctor returned "and said we just lost Sean."

Doctors "gave no explanation" for his death, a family friend said. "They said it was a minute-by-minute process because of the severity of the injury. They were very upfront from the very beginning. When they briefed the family originally, it was just that he's alive, but it will be touch and go."

Staff writers Jason La Canfora and Mark Maske and staff researcher Julie Tate contributed to this report from Washington.