Lawrence Taylor given lowest sex offender status Posted by Anthony Stalter (04/12/2011 @ 5:30 pm) Former NFL football player Lawrence Taylor (R) leaves Rockland County Court with his attorney Arthur Aidala after pleading not guilty to third-degree rape charges after his arraignment in New City, New York, July 13, 2010. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton (UNITED STATES – Tags: CRIME LAW SPORT FOOTBALL) ESPN.com reports that Lawrence Taylor was given the lowest sex offender status stemming from his arrest for having sex with a 16-year-0ld girl in 2010. His name will not appear on an online sex offender registry list after he was given Level 1 status in court on Tuesday. Taylor, who was not present at the hearing, pleaded guilty in January to two counts, sexual misconduct and soliciting a prostitute in the third degree. Last month he was sentenced to six years’ probation in his home state of Florida. As a Level 1 offender he will not have his picture in an online database, but Kelly said that given the notoriety of the case, in effect there was very little difference between Level 1 and Level 2 for Taylor. There are three levels of sex offenders: Level 1 offenders are characterized as being a low risk to the public, Level 2 are medium risk and Level 3 are high risk. People registered as the latter two have their names made available to the public, and authorities can go so far as to alert “vulnerable populations,” such as those at a school, nursing home or day care agency, that an offender is living in their neighborhood. Level 1 offenders must register for 20 years, while the other two levels of offenders must register for the rest of their lives. Aidala said knowing that he is the lowest level will be a “relief” for Taylor, and that it may make a difference when it comes to sponsorship opportunities in the future. He said Taylor will be a headline guest at a Montclair, N.J., charity golf tournament on June 20, to benefit disabled children.
Well good for you, L.T.! I would write something like, “Well maybe he’ll learn from this situation and stay out of trouble,” but he’s Lawrence freaking Taylor. He’s going to get caught doing something stupid but let’s just hope this is the last and only time the man shows up in the headlines for allegedly raping someone. Lawrence Taylor indicted on rape charges Posted by Anthony Stalter (06/23/2010 @ 1:30 pm) 
The New York Daily News reports that Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor has been indicted on charges of rape, criminal sexual act and sexual abuse. He was also hit with charges of endangering the welfare of a child and patronizing a prostitute. Taylor was busted on May 6 at a Holiday Inn after the 16-year-old told cops he paid her $300 to have sex with him. Rockland County District Attorney Thomas Zugibe said the teen told them she’d been driven to the hotel by a Bronx pimp – and that she had been verbally threatened and physically assaulted. Taylor has denied the charges – and has reportedly come up with a dubious defense, namely that he pleasured himself and never touched the girl. But in an interview with The Daily News, the baby-faced teen insisted she and Taylor “definitely had intercourse.” “If he’s saying we didn’t, that’s not true,” she said.
I find it hard to believe that Taylor paid someone $300 so that he could flog the dolphin while she just sat there. Then again, this was also the same man that claims he hired and sent hookers to opponents’ hotel rooms the night before games in an attempt to tire them out and has been arrested multiple times for trying to buy coke from undercover police officers. So who knows what he’s into. Lawrence Taylor likey the vices. Report: Teen was forced to tell LT that she was 19 Posted by Anthony Stalter (05/07/2010 @ 2:30 pm)  According to a report by TMZ.com, the victim in the Lawrence Taylor rape case was forced (by her pimp) to tell the former football star that she was 19. According to the federal criminal complaint, an FBI agent assigned to the case claims Davis had “caused” the 16-year-old to “engage in multiple commercial sex acts with various individuals” … and even “set the prices.” The FBI agent also claims that Davis had taken several “almost nude” photographs of the girl on his cell phone in order to obtain customers. In the docs, the FBI agent claims Davis had sent the girl text messages instructing her to have sex with a client (Lawrence Taylor) on May 5th — but the girl refused. So, according to the agent, Davis physically assaulted her “in an effort to coerce [the victim] into participating in a commercial sex act.” According to the agent, Davis then instructed the victim to tell Lawrence Taylor that she was 19 and charge him $300 for sex.
Taylor’s defense team now has a loophole that it can attack. If LT was under the impression that she was 19 because she told him that, then is it considered rape? If he believed he was buying time with a prostitute and didn’t force her to have sex, will he be cleared of rape charges? Taylor is far from being an innocent bystander here, but this new development may get him out of facing rape charges, which could put him away for four years. Photo from fOTOGLIF
Nutrisystem ends endorsement deal with Lawrence Taylor Posted by Anthony Stalter (05/07/2010 @ 9:08 am)  Less than 24 hours after he was accused of raping a 16-year-old girl, weight-loss program Nutrisystem has ended its endorsement deal with Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor. From TMZ.com: TMZ spoke to a rep at the weight loss company, who told us, “We are shocked and saddened by these very serious allegations against Lawrence Taylor.” The rep added, “Based on the severity of these allegations, Nutrisystem has made the decision to sever our relationship with Mr. Taylor effective immediately.” And Nutrisystem really does work fast — they’ve already replaced Taylor’s image on their website with slimmed down San Diego Padres star Matt Stairs.
We saw it happen to Michael Vick, Tiger Woods and now Lawrence Taylor. Companies know that some people in our society wake up in the morning ready to be offended about something. On a whole, we are uptight, sensitive and defensive and people expect big companies to act swiftly when it comes to breaking off endorsement deals, whether the athlete or celebrity has been convicted of anything of not. That said, I’m not suggesting that Nutrisystem shouldn’t have dropped Taylor. Obviously a company doesn’t want to be associated with a dog fighter, someone who cheats on their wife or a potential rapist. But I do find it interesting that companies are acting quickly when it comes to dropping endorsers that get into trouble. I think it’s a good thing, but I also believe it speaks to where we are as a society (i.e. act now, think later). Photo from fOTOGLIF
Second man arrested in Lawrence Taylor rape case Posted by Anthony Stalter (05/06/2010 @ 4:00 pm) ESPN.com reports that a second man, Rasheed Davis, has been arrested in connection with the Lawrence Taylor rape case. According to the report, Davis brought the 16-year-old girl to Taylor’s hotel room in Ramapo, New York. A second man was arrested in the case, New York City police said. Rasheed Davis, a 36-year-old parolee, was arrested on charges of unlawful imprisonment, assault and endangering the welfare of a child. Police said Davis drove the girl, who had been staying with him in the Bronx for a few weeks, to the Holiday Inn and told her she had to have sex with Taylor. She said she refused, Taylor sexually assaulted her, then he paid her $300, which she gave to Davis, police said. Davis “struck the young girl with his fist, kicked her and brought her to the Holiday Inn against her will,” NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said. On the way back from Suffern, the girl sent text messages to her uncle spelling out what had happened, Browne said. The uncle then went to the NYPD, he said. New York City police alerted Ramapo authorities to what happened. Police then went to Taylor’s hotel room and arrested him.
Sex with a 16-year-old cannot be consensual in New York state and if convicted, Taylor could spend up to four years in prison. It’s important to note that LT has not been charged with anything, but it appears as though that could change as more details from this story emerge. |