After seeming to have put his troubled past behind him, former New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor again found himself in a courtroom in this small Hudson Valley town Thursday.
Ramapo authorities said the Pro Football Hall of Famer faces up to four years in prison after being arrested and charged with raping a 16-year-old girl who authorities say was beaten by a Bronx pimp, then delivered to Taylor's hotel room.
Taylor paid the girl $300 for sex, authorities said. En route to the hotel, she sent a text message to her uncle, who alerted the New York Police Department. The NYPD arrested the suspected pimp, Rasheed Davis, an ex-convict on parole. The NYPD informed Ramapo police, who woke up Taylor and arrested him in his room at a nearby Holiday Inn at 3:55 Thursday morning. The girl, who was reported missing in March, has been reunited with her uncle, authorities said.
Wearing a black shirt and blue jeans, Taylor, 51, hung his head and gave brief, one-word answers during his arraignment here.
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Taylor was charged with third-degree rape and patronizing a prostitute. Bail was set at $75,000, and a hearing was set for June 10. He could face up to five years in prison if he's given the maximum sentence served concurrently.
Taylor's attorney, Arthur Aidala, denied all the charges to USA TODAY. The football great nicknamed "LT" might be a victim of his own celebrity, Aidala said. The attorney said Taylor just wants to return to his wife and three children at their home in Pembroke Pines, Fla.
"As is every celebrity, Mr. Taylor is a target," Aidala told USA TODAY.
A moment later, the high-powered defense attorney waded into the news media throng outside the court and said he would not confirm whether his famous client knew the alleged victim. He said Taylor did not have sex with her or anybody else in the wee hours Thursday.
"Lawrence Taylor did not rape anybody," Aidala said. "Am I clear?"
Taylor arrived Wednesday in Rockland County about 40 miles across the Hudson River from New York City. At about 1 in the morning, according to Ramapo Town Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence, Davis brought the 16-year-old to Taylor at Room 160 of the Holiday Inn.
Previously, Davis had beaten up the alleged victim for refusing to go. Authorities made clear that Taylor had nothing to do with the beating.
"An injury to the victim's face occurred prior to her entering the room at the Holiday Inn," St. Lawrence said.
Police said Taylor was "very cooperative" when they arrested him. Detectives found alcohol in the room but no signs of drug use, Ramapo Police Chief Peter Brower said.
Asked if Taylor knew the age of the alleged victim, Brower said, "Ignorance is not an excuse."
Under New York law, third-degree rape is defined as someone 21 or older having sex with someone under 17.
Taylor had earlier drug and tax-evasion convictions and in November 2009 was cited for leaving the scene of an accident in Florida. The outcome of that case is pending.
Taylor, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999, played 13 seasons in the NFL. He was a 10-time Pro Bowl player for the Giants and the league's MVP in 1986.
He began his career in 1981, when the Giants drafted him out of North Carolina with the second overall pick. He retired with 132½ sacks (now tied for eighth all time) and two Super Bowl rings.Menphis
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