(Agencies)
Updated: 2007-11-27 15:11

MIAMI - The National Football League's Sean Taylor, a star defensive player for the Washington Redskins, was in critical condition after being shot at his home near Miami by a suspected intruder on Monday, police said.

Taylor, 24, who was the Redskins' first pick in the 2004 draft, was airlifted to Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital for treatment, police said.

The Miami Herald newspaper reported that Taylor and his girlfriend were startled after hearing an intruder at the rear door of his home and said Taylor, who suffered severe blood loss, was wounded by a gunshot to the groin.

Police declined to confirm those details, including the Herald's report that Taylor faced possible brain injury due to blood loss, but said he remained in critical condition on Monday evening.

Vinny Cerrato, the Redskins' vice president for players and personnel, told reporters outside the hospital there were hopeful signs for Taylor.

"We've had positive news from the doctors," Cerrato said.

"After lengthy surgery, Sean responded to the doctor's request to grab his hand and showed some facial expression," he said. "It will be a long fight but Sean is very strong and he's a fighter."

Cerrato spoke after meeting inside the hospital with Redskins' owner Daniel Snyder.

Police said they were called to Taylor's home at 1:45 a.m. by a woman who said he had been shot.

"According to a preliminary investigation, it appears that the victim was shot inside the home by an intruder. There are signs of forced entry," a police statement said.

It said a previous incident involving burglary or an intruder at Taylor's residence was reported on November 18 but that no arrests had been made in connection with either event.

Taylor, a college star with the University of Miami, bought the four-bedroom home in Palmetto Bay, a village just south of Miami, for $900,000 two years ago.

The hard-hitting safety had five interceptions this season but had been sidelined the last two weeks with a leg injury.

Taylor had a run-in with the law two years ago stemming from a gun-related incident.

He was charged with three felony counts of aggravated assault with a weapon and one count each of simple assault and simple battery in connection with a June 2005 incident where he was accused of waving a gun at a group of people he suspected of stealing his all-terrain vehicle.

He could have faced up to 46 years in prison.

In June 2006, Taylor pleaded no contest to misdemeanor assault and battery charges and prosecutors dropped the more serious felony charges.