Giants legend Lawrence Taylor arrested for violating sex offender stipulations

Former Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor is arrested for failing to notify courts of his recent move, which registered sex offenders are required to do.

Earlier this week, former NFL legend O.J. Simpson became a free man when he was discharged early for a 2008 armed robbery conviction. Now, another NFL legend finds himself arrested after violating to obey policies for registered sex offenders.

Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor was arrested in South Florida on Thursday for failing to notify authorities of his change in address. Taylor, who was charged with two felonies and was given Level 1 sex offender status in 2011, is required to notify authorities when he changes his address.

Lawrence Taylor was arrested for failing to abide by sex offender policies

In 2011, Taylor plead guilty to two counts of sexual misconduct and soliciting a prostitute in the third degree. During the court hearing, Taylor said that he was unaware that the prostitute was a “16-year-old Bronx runaway.”

“She told me she was 19,” Taylor said, admitting to having sex with her. Taylor then said that he knew the girl was “legally incapable of consent.”

The teenage girl, referred to in the case as C.F., was taken into police custody alongside a man who was acting as her pimp. According to C.F., she was “beaten and forced to go to Taylor’s hotel, where they had sex.”

Level 1 sex offenders must only be registered for 20 years, meaning that Taylor is halfway done with the time requirement for his Level 1 status. This wasn’t Taylor’s first legal issue in his post-football retirement. Taylor, who was open about his drug and substance abuse while he was playing in the NFL, has been jailed three times in his retirement for attempted drug possession.

In 2011, Taylor received the sex offender designation exactly 30 years after he was drafted into the NFL with the Giants’ second overall pick. The two-time Super Bowl champion is remembered by Bill Belichick as the greatest defensive player of all time. Belichick recently spent 22 minutes speaking about Taylor’s distinct football instincts during a press conference.

While Taylor is often remembered for his legendary playing days, the recent arrest serves as a reminder for the greatest tarnish on the linebacker’s legacy.