Lawrence Julius Taylor, nicknamed “L.T.”, was born on February 4, 1959, in Williamsburg, Virginia, the United States as the eldest of three sons born to Clarence and Iris Taylor.
Lawrence Taylor’s father worked as a dispatcher at the Newport News shipyards, while his mother was a schoolteacher. He graduated from Lafayette High School in 1977 and attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
At the University of North Carolina, Lawrence Taylor served as a team captain. He was drafted by the NFL’s New York Giants in the first round as the 2nd pick overall in the 1981 NFL Draft.
Lawrence Taylor made history as one of only two defensive players in the history of the NFL (the other one being Alan Page in 1971 to have ever won the NFL MVP award. He is widely regarded as the best defensive player of his generation, as well as one of the greatest defensive players of all time.
What was Lawrence Taylor accused of?
Lawrence Taylor was accused of sex offender violations. He was arrested in 2010 for having sex with a 16-year-old girl. In 2011, he pleaded guilty in New York to sexual misconduct and patronizing a prostitute.
The misdemeanour charges carried no jail time but required Lawrence Taylor to register as a sex offender which requires informing authorities of new residences. Court records also showed that he had been sentenced to 12 months of probation.
At the sentencing in April 2011, Lawrence Taylor was given Level 1 sex offender status, which is the lowest of the three levels of sex offenders.
