ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Broncos owner Pat Bowlen knows the
anguish fellow owner Daniel Snyder is going through.
Broncos receiver Brandon Marshall understands the grief the
Washington Redskins players are experiencing.
The death of safety Sean Taylor from a gunshot wound has stirred
up memories of cornerback Darrent Williams for the Broncos players.
Williams was killed in a drive-by shooting on Jan. 1 following an
argument at a Denver nightclub.
The mood in the Denver locker room was subdued Wednesday.
"We dealt with this last year. We're still dealing with it,"
Marshall said. "It hit home."
Broncos offensive lineman Chris Myers heard his phone beep at
4:30 a.m. Tuesday and knew something was wrong. A text message from
his agent informed him that Taylor had died.
"It's surreal," said Myers, who played with Taylor at the
University of Miami. "That's someone you know. You never get over
it and you never forget them. You pray no one has to go through
it."
Bowlen called Snyder soon after Taylor's death and offered his
condolences and then assistance.
"It's actually something you never want to see happen, but at
least you can be there to help them," said Bowlen, who flew his
team to Fort Worth, Texas, for Williams' funeral in January.
Williams was a 24-year-old rising star who had just finished his
second season in the NFL when the limousine he was riding in was
sprayed with bullets after leaving a nightclub in downtown Denver.
There had been an altercation between people in Williams' group and
suspected gang members.
No charges have been filed in the case.
Two months after Williams' death, the Broncos lost backup
running back Damien Nash, who died following a charity basketball
game in St. Louis.
On the back of each Denver helmet is a decal with the Nos. 27
and 29, in honor of Williams and Nash.
"It's tough. I feel for the Redskins," quarterback Jay Cutler
said. "The Broncos team and organization has been through it. It's
not going to go away for a while. They are still going to think
about it next year and the year after that."
Karl Paymah keeps a picture of Williams in his locker. He
glances at it as he dresses for practice. Williams, Paymah and
Domonique Foxworth were all cornerbacks taken by Denver with its
first three picks in the 2005 draft.
"Darrent's in my locker, in my heart, he's out there with us,"
Paymah said. "Darrent will always be with us."
Paymah said it would help him with closure if police could find
the criminals behind Williams' death.
"Just so guys realize you're not going to get away with this,"
Paymah said. "Hopefully, the perpetrator will be brought to
justice. That would help."
Marshall would've preferred to talk about his four-catch,
97-yard performance against Chicago in a 37-34 overtime loss on
Sunday.
Talking about Taylor's death was difficult for him. He was good
friends with Williams.
"That's a little bit of a touchy situation for me knowing that
in our locker room we had the same situation happen not too long
ago," Marshall said. "It's just a shame to know that we had to be
reminded so quick."
Broncos receiver Javon Walker revealed on HBO's "Real Sports"
over the summer that he still has the bloodied shirt from when
Williams died in his arms in the limousine. He keeps the
unlaundered shirt as a reminder of his friend.
Walker didn't want to talk Wednesday.
Marshall said he couldn't imagine having to play a game after
the death of a teammate. Williams died hours after Denver's
season-ending overtime loss to San Francisco.
"Every day those guys have to walk by his locker and walk by
different things that are going to remind them of him, so it's
going to be tough," Marshall said. "Like I always tell people
around me -- my team, we're all from different places and we all
have different personalities, but when it comes down to it, we're
brothers. It's a bond. There's a brotherhood."
Paymah has grown weary of hearing news like Taylor's death.
"It's sad to hear," Paymah said. "When is it going to stop?
It's a trend that has to stop."