I hold to what I said in the column -- and have been saying for months -- that the Dolphins should have traded Taylor before the draft even if they didn't get the perfect offer. If some of us in the media saw this public strife (and distraction) coming, the Dolphins had to see it too. And I do believe that strife diminishes value.
I hold to what I wrote that yesterday's events (including Tony Sparano's revelation) will only diminish his value further. But more on that later.
I hold to what I've said repeatedly that, as far as the dancing sidelight went, Taylor has earned some leeway because of his past performance for this franchise. I understand that Bill Parcells wants to establish his authority here, and Taylor's absence during voluntary workouts could be seen as undermining that somewhat. So I understand why Parcells would be peeved. But I also know that the situation really became toxic when Taylor returned to the facility last month and Parcells snubbed him. Before that, even with Taylor's desire to go elsewhere, I still felt there could be an amicable resolution, or at least something that looked better publicly. I even expected him to show for training camp, and participate while still privately pushing for a trade. Parcells is a legendary button-pusher, but he pushed the wrong button on Taylor.
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