Hall-of-Famer Accused of Rape

Hall-of-Fame LB Lawrence Taylor, who played for the New York Giants from 1981-1993, was arrested this morning after being accused of raping a 15-year-old girl. Police say he was accused of rape at the Holidome Hotel in Montebello, NY, and authorities have not released more details. Taylor won two championships for the Giants, and was one of the best defensive players of his time. However, Taylor battled drug addiction and was in trouble numerous times with the law. He was inducted into the Hall-of-Fame in his first year of eligibility, in 1999.

It wouldn't be fair to Taylor or the alleged victim to comment on this matter because it is brand new. However, if there is evidence that suggests Taylor did do it, then it will be a major setback for a person who has seemed to straighten out his life. Taylor did do some special things on the field, but was never able to get away from the craziness off the field until later on after retirement.

It would be interesting to see where this case goes from here. Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger was accused twice of sexual-related offenses, and nothing has happened to him at all. That may be because of his status as a well-liked person and star quarterback. Taylor was a very good football player, but his troubles were well-known and received a lot of criticism for that in the media. Could that affect him in this case.

Hall-of-Fame RB O.J. Simpson was acquitted of murder charges in 1995, but received no such luck in 2009. In 2007, he was accused and eventually charged for an incident regarding his memorabilia. The jury decided to come down hard on him, and that maybe was because he supposedly got away free 14 years before. Taylor didn't have a case related to Simpson, but his past may affect him.

With Taylor now being charged with third-degree rape, Taylor might be in some hot water. All signs are against him because the girl is only 15 years old. Any jury in this case would want to come down hard on someone who allegedly harmed a 15-year-old. Taylor is 51, so this is clearly illegal no matter if he forced her or not. We'll just have to wait and see how everything plays out.