Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor reportedly arrested again on felony charge over sex offender registration violation
The longtime New York Giants linebacker landed on the sex offender list in 2011
Pro Football Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor was arrested on Wednesday on a felony charge for failing to report his residence change as a registered sex offender, according to The Athletic.
Taylor, 65, turned himself into the Broward Sheriff's Office in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Wednesday and he was released on bail on Thursday, per the report.
The incident is nearly identical to a situation in 2021, when Taylor was arrested for the same thing in South Florida. Taylor avoided jail time then after he pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.
Taylor’s attorney called his arrest a “misunderstanding” on Thursday, and said he would be pleading not guilty.
“As with the previous incident involving the same allegations, Mr. Taylor did not knowingly commit any criminal offense. This situation is a significant misunderstanding,” his attorney, Mark Eiglarsh, said in a statement, via The Athletic. “We are confident that, once the prosecutors review the exculpatory evidence demonstrating Mr. Taylor’s innocence, he will once again achieve a favorable outcome.”
Taylor pleaded guilty to one count of sexual misconduct and one count of soliciting a prostitute in the third degree in New York in 2011, which is what required him to register as a sex offender in the first place. A 16-year-old girl said she was beaten and forced to go to Taylor’s hotel room to have sex with him. Taylor said at the time he was unaware that the girl was underage, and that he thought she was 19.
Taylor was given Level 1 sex offender status at his sentencing hearing, which is the lowest possible level. As he was considered low risk, his photo did not appear in an online sex offender database. Taylor was also sentenced to six years of probation in Florida. As a registered sex offender, Taylor is required to report any address changes to local authorities.
Taylor spent 13 seasons in the league with the New York Giants before he retired after the 1993 campaign. He won two Super Bowls with the organization, was a 10-time Pro Bowler and eight-time All-Pro linebacker, and he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1999.
