NFL legend and former New York Giants star Lawrence Taylor was arrested in Florida this week and charged again with failing to report a change of residence as a sex offender.
The 65-year-old former linebacker was one of the league’s greatest players, but his legacy was marred by scandal after he was arrested in 2010 on rape and prostitution charges in connection with the assault of a 16-year-old girl.
In 2011, he pleaded guilty to sexual misconduct and patronizing a prostitute, both misdemeanors, NBC Sports reported. He claimed the minor told him she was 19. He ultimately avoided prison, but was sentenced to six years of probation and ordered to register as a sex offender.
Taylor turned himself in to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office in Florida on Wednesday on a felony warrant, the sheriff’s office said. The reason is that he failed to report a change of residence as a registered sex offender, the Pembroke Pines Police Department said.
Taylor was booked into the Fort Lauderdale Main Jail and released on bail Thursday, the sheriff’s office said.
The Pro Football Hall of Famer and two-time Super Bowl champion retired after the 1993 season.
He has had several run-ins with the law. He was arrested twice for leaving the scene of an accident, once in 1996 and again in 2009 in Florida.
He was also arrested in 2016 in Florida on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol after the car he was driving struck a police car and an RV.
The most recent incident isn’t the first time Taylor has been arrested on suspicion of failing to report a change of residence as a sex offender. In December 2021, he was arrested in Broward County for that reason and booked into jail for several hours before being released on bail, NBC Miami reported at the time.
Taylor’s attorney, Mark Eiglarsh, told NBC News Friday that Taylor will plead not guilty to the new charges.
“As in the previous case involving the same allegations, Mr. Taylor did not knowingly commit a criminal offense. This situation is a significant misunderstanding,” he said.
“We are confident that once prosecutors review the exculpatory evidence demonstrating Mr. Taylor’s innocence, he will once again obtain a favorable result,” Eiglarsh added.
