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A day after skipping practice following his arrest on a drunken driving charge, Washington Redskins rookie safety Sean Taylor was granted an excused absence Friday. In fact, the team told him to stay away until Monday.
Taylor will be inactive for Sunday's 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 trooper early Thursday.
Taylor was not at Redskins Park for Friday's practice. Coach Joe Gibbs said the No. 5 overall draft pick will not be at Saturday's walkthrough or Sunday'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 have to handle Taylor's situation carefully because they can't directly punish him over the charges unless he admits to them or is found guilty. However, Gibbs can penalize Taylor for missing Thursday's practice and team meetings without notice.
Taylor was stopped by a state trooper around 2:45AM ET Thursday. The whole episode violated the No. 1 rule Gibbs gave his players at the beginning of the season: Don't embarrass the Redskins.
"I realize we're dealing with young guys," Gibbs said. "They make mistakes. In general, we trust them. They're real professional. You've got to be smart. You've got a lot of time to vacation, be with your family or whatever. During the season it's the time when you're trying to be focused on football."
Taylor's absence leaves the Redskins without their two top safeties. Matt Bowen is out for the season with a knee injury, leaving Ryan Clark and Andre Lott -- with just seven career NFL starts between them -- as the probable starters against the Packers.
In other news, the Redskins released tight end Fred Baxter, giving him an injury settlement after he injured his hamstring in practice this week. Baxter wasn't even around for one game, having been signed after Walter Rasby was cut following a poor blocking performance against Chicago.
Second-year player Robert Royal is the only tight end left on the roster, although the Redskins have three H-backs who can fill the tight end role.
Baxter was replaced on the roster by linebacker Brandon Barnes, who was promoted from the practice squad. Linebacker Billy Strother was signed to the practice squad.
Meanwhile, defensive end Phillip Daniels was upgraded to probable on the injury report, making it likely he will return to the lineup after missing four games with an injured groin.
Source: AP
Taylor will be inactive for Sunday's 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 trooper early Thursday.
Taylor was not at Redskins Park for Friday's practice. Coach Joe Gibbs said the No. 5 overall draft pick will not be at Saturday's walkthrough or Sunday'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 have to handle Taylor's situation carefully because they can't directly punish him over the charges unless he admits to them or is found guilty. However, Gibbs can penalize Taylor for missing Thursday's practice and team meetings without notice.
Taylor was stopped by a state trooper around 2:45AM ET Thursday. The whole episode violated the No. 1 rule Gibbs gave his players at the beginning of the season: Don't embarrass the Redskins.
"I realize we're dealing with young guys," Gibbs said. "They make mistakes. In general, we trust them. They're real professional. You've got to be smart. You've got a lot of time to vacation, be with your family or whatever. During the season it's the time when you're trying to be focused on football."
Taylor's absence leaves the Redskins without their two top safeties. Matt Bowen is out for the season with a knee injury, leaving Ryan Clark and Andre Lott -- with just seven career NFL starts between them -- as the probable starters against the Packers.
In other news, the Redskins released tight end Fred Baxter, giving him an injury settlement after he injured his hamstring in practice this week. Baxter wasn't even around for one game, having been signed after Walter Rasby was cut following a poor blocking performance against Chicago.
Second-year player Robert Royal is the only tight end left on the roster, although the Redskins have three H-backs who can fill the tight end role.
Baxter was replaced on the roster by linebacker Brandon Barnes, who was promoted from the practice squad. Linebacker Billy Strother was signed to the practice squad.
Meanwhile, defensive end Phillip Daniels was upgraded to probable on the injury report, making it likely he will return to the lineup after missing four games with an injured groin.
Source: AP