Lawrence Taylor's Giant Mess

Lawrence Taylor

I was going to post this under my "What The Hell" blog title category, but I decided not to because this story is so pathetic, it stands for itself. Former pro football great Lawrence Taylor may or may not be guilty of rape, but he is guilty of stupidity. Taylor was arrested early last Thursday and charged with the third degree rape of a 16 year old girl in New York, according to the New York Times. He allegedly raped the girl in a Holiday Inn in Montebello, NY and it was reported that a "pimp" brought her to the hotel.

The girl, who had been punched in the face, was treated at a local hospital but it is not known who did the punching. The police held a press conference at 3:00pm last Friday afternoon to discuss Taylor's arrest. The girl, unnamed to protect her privacy as a victim and a minor, had run away from her Bronx home in March and was stuck with a pimp. (Is this a plot from a bad 1970's blaxploitation flick?)

Lawrence Taylor was arraigned and charged with third degree rape. Taylor, who has also been a pro football Hall of Famer since 1999, has residences in Florida and Northern New Jersey, which is not too far from the New York border. He played 13 years with the New York Giants, and his time was full of problems, including cocaine and alcohol issues which led to suspensions from the NFL and numerous arrests for drug possession. There was no comment from the NFL on the rape charges.

Kenneth Gribetz, an attorney for Lawrence Taylor, said... "We're confident his innocence will be proven." He's very sadly mistaken. Taylor might receive a favorable verdict, but innocent? I doubt that, only if such a thing exists for a married man who allegedly had a young woman delivered to his hotel and gave her $300.00 after having sex. As for the case, he'd stand a better chance of winning if the accuser wasn't a minor. At first report, she was 15 years old... by Saturday night, she was reportedly 17 years old. Maybe by the time this reaches the court, she'll be middle-aged. One can only hope.

Even if Taylor didn't rape the accuser, he's guilty anyway if they had sex because she not's old enough to consent. Yes, there are 16 year old girls who can pass for 21-year-old women. (You should see some of the girls at the local high school around here.) But, as Ramapo Chief of Police Peter Brower said, "Ignorance is not an excuse to an individual's age." So, whether he forced the issue or not, Taylor could be screwed (no pun intended) if the DNA evidence links him to the girl. Watching Attorney Ken Gribetz squirm out of that hole will be fascinating as well as humorous.

You know, I was so rooting for this guy. He had so many problems and it seemed like he was finally getting himself together. He was a favorite on Dancing With The Stars recently (a show that I don't watch) and was slowly on his way back to respectability. I would say Poor Lawrence, but my sympathy lies with this young girl, a victim of both him, a fading celebrity, and a cruel pimp.

Once again, the bad behavior and poor judgement of my fellow human beings has brought my faith in humanity and decency down a notch.