It’s been 15 years since the Washington star was killed—and 15 years since he predicted his little brother would follow in his football footsteps. At Rice, a young strong safety is living up to his family name.
In his most intimate moments of mourning, when no one but ghosts were watching, Gabriel Taylor would bring his big brother back to life. It’s a ritual that started when he was 9 years old. He would put on the football helmet and scowl behind its rainbow-tinted visor, stalking from room to room like the floor was a defensive backfield. He would sneer through its gold facemask, barking trash talk across an invisible line of scrimmage.