NFL Legend Lawrence Taylor to be charge with raping a 16 year old

via http://www.nbcnewyork.com

Ramapo police are investigating an alleged rape of an underage girl involving Giant Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor.

The reported rape occurred early this morning at the Holiday Inn Holidome Hotel in Montebello, according to Ramapo Police. A source close to the investigation says the victim is a 16-year-old runaway from the Bronx . The former Giants legend had not been formally charged yet, Ramapo Detective Lt. Brad Weidel said.

Taylor’ flatly denies guilt of any charges, his lawyer, former Rockland District Attorney Kenneth Gribetz, told NBC New York.

“Hopefully he’ll be exonerated in the court of law and we’re looking forward to having him released from custody as quickly as possible,” Gribetz said. “We have no further comment except to say that he’s innocent.”

Gribetz said he hoped to have Taylor released following his 4 p.m. arraignment.

Taylor will likely be charged with third-degree rape, sources say. Other charges may follow.

According to sources, the teenage prostitute was beaten and kicked by her pimp before being transported to Suffern to have sex with an “old, husky bald man with a goatee.”  After the incident, the victim texted her uncle, who called NYPD from his home in the Bronx, sources said. The NYPD responded and arrested the pimp but it is not clear if the pimp will be prosecuted in Ramapo or New York City, sources said.

The alleged transaction was for $300 and the teenage prostitute did not have any clue that the alleged “John” was a world famous former NFL star, according to sources.

Taylor is “not happy with what took place,” said Ramapo Police Commissioner Christopher St. Lawrence. “We went to his room and knocked on the door, waking him up, and made the arrest.”

Additional information about the allegations will be made public at a press conference this afternoon at the Town of Ramapo Town Hall in Suffern. Police did not immediately respond to questions about the circumstances of the arrest and whether Taylor, 51.

Considered one of the greatest players in the history of football — and perhaps the best defensive player of all time — Taylor spent his entire professional career with the Giants. One of the most beloved Giants ever, he racked up double-digit sacks in six consecutive seasons and lead Big Blue to two Super Bowl wins.

A quick, fierce and athletic linebacker who redefined his position, Taylor was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1999 and competed in ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” last year. The 10-time Pro Bowler was the NFL Most Valuable Player in 1986 and was selected to the NFL’s 75th Anniversary All-Time Team.

Yet the glory of Taylor’s career has been tainted by personal controversy. No stranger to the wrong side of the law, the three-time Defensive Player of the Year admitted to using cocaine as early as his second year in the league and the NFL suspended him multiple times for failing drug tests.

Taylor’s drug abuse escalated after he retired in 1993 and he ended up in jail three times for attempted drug possession. By all reports, the former sports commentator cleaned up his lifestyle and had been living sober and drug-free since 1998. He was most recently pursuing a career in acting and police said he lived in Pembroke Pines, Fla.

Today’s allegations are the first serious criminal accusations against Taylor in some time. But they’re reminiscent of an era in which drug-related charges were the norm.

Taylor’s off-field behavior over a decade portrays an extraordinarily troubled man with a substance-abuse problem, not the NFL great who revolutionized the linebacker position and earned an enduring place in the hearts of New York football fans.

Take a look at some of his off-the-field lows:

• In 2001, police questioned Taylor in connection with the grand theft auto and counterfeit money charges filed against his former teammate Mark Ingram. Ingram was busted in a stolen car with Taylor’s golf clubs, shoes and checkbook in tow.
• In 1998, Taylor was arrested in Teaneck, N.J., on drug-related charges. The town’s narcotics bureau executed a search warrant on a hotel room rented in Taylor’s name and found crack and narcotics paraphernalia. Two months earlier, he was arrested in a Florida hotel room for allegedly buying $50 worth of a crack from an undercover cop. He said he had been set up.
• In 1997, cops busted Taylor for crack possession in South Carolina. As part of a deal to wipe the charges from his record, he completed 60 hours of community service and agreed to random drug testing and drug counseling.
• In 1996, authorities cited Taylor for leaving the scene of an accident. He told cops he lost control of the car after being cut off,  but cops said he then disappeared. They caught up with him five hours later. He passed a Breathalyzer test, but was handed three motor vehicle violations, including one for driving with a suspended license. Two weeks prior to the crash, Taylor was arrested in a drug sting in South Carolina for allegedly trying to buy $100 worth of crack.
• In 1991, Taylor was arrested for allegedly smacking a taxi with a metal pipe during an altercation over a car accident. He was charged with misdemeanor criminal property damage.
• In 1989, Taylor was charged with driving while intoxicated on the Garden State Parkway. He told cops he pulled over because he had had a few drinks and didn’t feel well. Taylor had thrown up and was sitting in his car when an officer found him.