D.U.I. Case Leaves Hole in Redskins’ Secondary
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Aday after skipping practice following his arrest on a drunken-driving charge, the Washington Redskins’ rookie safety Sean Taylor was granted an excused absence yesterday, and the team told him to stay away until Monday. Taylor will be inactive for tomorrow’s home game against the Green Bay Packers, the fallout from being charged with driving under the influence and refusing a breathalyzer test after being stopped by a Virginia state trooper early Thursday. Taylor was not at Redskins Park for yesterday’s practice. Coach Joe Gibbs said Taylor, a former University of Miami star who was the league’s No. 5 draft pick, will not be at today’s walk-through or tomorrow’s game. “He’s not going to play this weekend, so I think it’s good for him from a standpoint of media attention for the team and all that kind of stuff,” Gibbs said. “It’d be better for the rest of us to spend the rest of the week concentrating on Green Bay.” The Redskins cannot directly punish Taylor over the charges unless he admits to them or is found guilty. But Gibbs can penalize Taylor for missing Thursday’s practice and team meetings without notice. Taylor was stopped by a state trooper around 2:45 a.m. Thursday. The incident violated the No. 1 rule that Gibbs gave his players at the beginning of the season: Do not embarrass the Redskins. “I realize we’re dealing with young guys,” Gibbs said. “They make mistakes. In general, we trust them.” Taylor’s absence left the Redskins without their two top safeties. Matt Bowen is out for the season with a knee injury. Moss Is Expected to Play Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Randy Moss was upgraded to probable for tomorrow’s game against the Giants after he participated in an entire practice for the first time in nearly two weeks. Moss, who strained his right hamstring in a win at New Orleans on Oct. 17, made a token start last weekend against Tennessee but played just two snaps as a decoy. He was expected to play a larger role against the Giants, but he will not be at full strength for at least two more weeks. Moss has played in 102 consecutive games. Titans Battling Injuries Injuries again kept Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair and running back Chris Brown out of practice yesterday, casting doubt on their availability against the Cincinnati Bengals. McNair, who has a bruised chest, and Brown, who has turf toe, had been expected to participate on a limited basis after being held out of practice the previous two days. Both were listed as questionable. McNair has missed one game this season and failed to finish two others. Brown, the American Football Conference’s third-leading rusher with 663 yards on 134 attempts, has failed to finish three games. |