Indicted: NFL Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor. The former drug addict may be addicted to prostitutes
Lawrence Taylor was indicted on two felony counts and three misdemeanor charges for allegedly raping a 16-year-old prostitute. It’s just another example of a high-profile athlete being stupid by putting himself in a risky situation and then falling victim to the trap he set for himself.
Taylor, 51, faces two class “E” felony counts — third-degree rape and a third-degree criminal sexual act. The other counts are misdemeanors: endangering the welfare of a child and third-degree patronizing a prostitute, plus two counts of third-degree sexual abuse.
According to the indictment, Taylor allegedly had intercourse and oral sex with the teenager, who said she was 19, then paid her $300. Under New York law, sex with a person younger than 17 constitutes third-degree rape. He entered a not guilty plea. His case goes to trial September 24, although a plea deal is in the works.
Taylor is a NFL Hall of Famer who is considered one of the greatest defensive players in the game. He retired from the New York Giants in 1993 and was second in the NFL for all–time career sacks.
Taylor’s high wire act
But his life off the field was a high wire act of drug abuse and prostitutes. He paid as much as $1,000 a day for cocaine and escort services.
“For me, crazy as it seems, there is a real relationship between wild, reckless abandon off the field and being that way on the field,” said Taylor back in 1987.
Taylor was suspended from football for 30 days in 1988 after failing a second drug test. A third positive test would have ended his career, so he straightened up, then fell back into his drug-induced trap. He went through drug rehab twice in 1995, only to be arrested twice for attempting to buy cocaine from undercover officers.
L.T. was no stranger to prostitutes
In a 2003 interview with Mike Wallace of 60 Minutes, Taylor claimed he sent prostitutes to opponents’ hotel rooms the night before a game in an attempt to tire them out. He said he learned about the trick because it was done to him before a big game in Houston.
“Knock on the door, you open the door, and you got two beautiful women sitting there [saying] ‘We’re for you!’ And I’m like, ‘You’re in the right place,’” Taylor recalled.
During the 60 Minutes interview, Taylor also recounted several other instances of his party– all–the–time lifestyle. He admitted he called as many as six prostitutes a day. He even arrived to a team meeting in handcuffs after a night spent with some call girls.
“A couple of ladies that were trying out some new equipment they had. You know? And I just happened to, and they just didn’t happen to have the key,” recalls Taylor, who says he ended up having a locksmith over to take care of the problem.”
Taylor has spent the past few years trying to straighten out his life. We saw a different side of him last year, when he competed on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars. His incredible athletic ability was shown in the opening scene of the movie, The Blind Side. We even saw him on Nutrisystem commercials.
Taylor is out of jail on $75,000 bond. He’s due in court July 13. He faces up to four years in prison if found guilty.
The old “L.T.” is back, a victim of his own excess—a victim of the failed life that he created.
