Lawrence Taylor Lawrence Julius Taylor ( born February 4 , 1959 ) , nicknamed " L . T . " , is a Hall of Fame former American football player . Taylor played his entire professional career as a linebacker for the New York Giants ( 1981 – 1993 ) in the National Football League ( NFL ) . He is considered to be one of the greatest players in the history of football , and has been ranked as the greatest defensive player in league history by former players , coaches , media members , and news outlets such as the NFL Network , and " Sporting News " . After an All - America n career at the University of North Carolina ( UNC ) ( 1978 – 1981 ) , Taylor was drafted by the Giants as the second overall selection in the 1981 NFL Draft . Although controversy surrounded the selection due to Taylor ' s contract demands , the two sides quickly resolved the issue . Taylor won several defensive awards after his rookie season . Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s , Taylor was a disruptive force at outside linebacker , and is credited with changing the pass rush ing schemes , offensive line play , and offensive formations used in the NFL . Taylor produced double - digit sacks each season from 1984 through 1990 , including a career high of 20 . 5 in 1986 . He also won a record three Defensive Player of the Year awards and was named the league ' s Most Valuable Player ( MVP ) for his performance during the 1986 season . He was named First - team All - Pro in each of his first nine seasons and was a key member of the Giants ' defense , nicknamed " The Big Blue Wrecking Crew " , that led New York to victories in Super Bowl s XXI and XXV . During the 1980s Taylor , fellow linebackers Carl Banks , Gary Reasons , Brad Van Pelt , Brian Kelley , Pepper Johnson , and Hall of Famer Harry Carson gave the Giants linebacking corps a reputation as one of the best in the NFL . Taylor has lived a controversial lifestyle , during and after his playing career . He admitted to using drugs such as cocaine as early as his second year in the NFL , and was suspended several times by the league for failing drug test s . His drug abuse escalated after his retirement , and he was jailed three times for attempted drug possession . From 1998 to 2009 , Taylor lived a sober , drug - free life . He worked as a color commentator on sporting events after his retirement , and pursued a career as an actor . His personal life came under public scrutiny in 2011 when he pled guilty to sexual misconduct involving a 16 - year old girl . Early life . Lawrence Taylor was the second of three sons born to Clarence and Iris Taylor in Williamsburg , Virginia . His father worked as a dispatcher at the Newport News shipyards , while his mother was a schoolteacher . Referred to as Lonnie by his family , Taylor was a mischievous youth . His mother said that " [ h ] e was a challenging child . Where the other two boys would ask for permission to do stuff , Lonnie . . . would just do it , and when you found out about it , he would give you a big story . " Taylor concentrated on baseball as a youth , in which he played the position of catcher , and only began playing football at the advanced age of fifteen . He did not play organized high school football until the following year ( eleventh grade ) , and was not heavily recruited coming out of high school . After graduating from Lafayette High School in 1977 , Taylor attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he was a team captain , and wore No . 98 . Originally recruited as a defensive lineman , Taylor switched to linebacker before the 1979 season . He had 16 sacks in his final year there ( 1980 ) , and set numerous defensive records . He was recognized as a consensus first - team All - American and the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year in 1980 . While there the coaching staff marveled at his intense , reckless style of play . " As a freshman playing on special teams , he ' d jump a good six or seven feet in the air to block a punt , then land on the back of his neck , " said North Carolina assistant coach Bobby Cale . " He was reckless , just reckless . " UNC later retired Taylor ' s jersey . NFL career . 1981 NFL Draft and training camp . In the 1981 NFL Draft , Taylor was drafted by the NFL ' s New York Giants as the 2nd pick overall . In a poll of NFL General Manager s ( GMs ) taken before the draft 26 of the league ' s 28 GMs said if they had the first selection they would select Taylor . One of the two GMs who said they would not take Taylor was Bum Phillips , who had just been hired as coach and general manager by the New Orleans Saints . As fate would have it for Taylor , the Saints were also the team who had the first pick in the draft . Giants GM George Young predicted before the draft that he would be better than NFL legends such as Dick Butkus : " Taylor is the best college linebacker I ' ve ever seen . Sure , I saw Dick Butkus play . There ' s no doubt in my mind about Taylor . He ' s bigger and stronger than Butkus was . On the blitz , he ' s devastating . " On draft day , Phillips made good on his promise not to draft Taylor and the Saints instead selected Heisman Trophy - winning halfback George Rogers with the first pick , leaving the Giants with the decision of whether to select Taylor . To the raucous approval of the crowd in attendance at the draft ( which was held in New York City ) , the Giants selected him . Privately , Taylor was hesitant about playing for New York as had hoped to be drafted by the Dallas Cowboys , and was unimpressed with a tour of Giants Stadium he was taken on , after the draft . Publicly , however , he expressed excitement about the opportunity to play in the city . The players changed their stance after he was drafted as Harry Carson made a point to reach out to him , and Taylor said he " talked to some players and coaches " and " got things straightened out . " One of the factors that the Giants said they considered in selecting Taylor was his solid reputation . " He was the cleanest player in the draft . By that I mean there was no rap on him , " said head coach Ray Perkins . " Great potential as a linebacker , a fine young man , free of injuries . " Taylor chose to wear number 56 because he was a fan of Cowboys linebacker Thomas Henderson . As it would turn out , Taylor would have the longer and more successful career while Rogers , although successful in his own right with several 1 , 000 - yard rushing seasons and two Pro Bowl selections , was injury - prone and forced to retire following the 1987 season with the Washington Redskins . Taylor ' s talent was evident from the start of training camp . Reports came out of the Giants training compound of the exploits of the new . Taylor ' s teammates took to calling him Superman and joked that his locker should be replaced with a phone booth . Phil Simms , the team ' s quarterback , said , " on the pass rush , he ' s an animal . He ' s either going to run around you or over you . With his quickness , he ' s full speed after two steps . " Taylor made his NFL exhibition debut on August 8 , 1981 , recording 2 sacks in the Giants ' 23 – 7 win over the Chicago Bears . Before the season word spread around the league about Taylor . Years after facing him in an exhibition game , Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback Terry Bradshaw recalled , " [ h ] e dang - near killed me , I just kept saying , ' Who is this guy ? ' He kept coming from my blind side and just ripped my ribs to pieces . " Taylor developed what has been termed a " love - hate relationship " with Bill Parcells who was the team ' s defensive coordinator when he was drafted , and would later become their head coach . Parcells often rode players in the hopes of driving them to better performance . Taylor did not appreciate this approach , and early on told Parcells , " I ' ve had enough . You either cut me or trade me but get the fuck off my back . " Parcells kept on Taylor , but privately told some veterans , " I like that LT . That motherfucker ' s got a mean streak . " Early career : 1981 – 1985 . Taylor made his NFL regular season debut on September 6 , 1981 , in a 24 – 10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles . Aside from incurring a penalty for a late hit on Eagles running back Perry Harrington , Taylor played a nondescript game . In a game versus the St . Louis Cardinals later in the season , Taylor rushed and sacked the passer when he was supposed to drop into coverage . When told by Parcells that was not what he was assigned to do on that play , and that what he did was not in the playbook , Taylor responded " Well , we better put it in on Monday , because that play ' s a dandy . " He recorded 9 . 5 sacks in 1981 , and his rookie season is considered one of the best in NFL history . He was named 1981 ' s NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year , making him as of 2013 the only rookie to win an Offensive or Defensive Player of the Year award . Taylor ' s arrival helped the Giants defense reduce their points allowed from 425 points in 1980 to 257 in 1981 . They finished the season 9 – 7 , up five games from the previous season , and advanced to the NFL divisional playoffs , where they lost 38 – 24 to the eventual Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers . The San Francisco win was due partly to a new tactic 49ers coach Bill Walsh used to slow Taylor . Walsh assigned guard John Ayers , the team ' s best blocker , to block Taylor and , although Taylor still recorded a sack and three tackles , he was not as effective as normal . In contrast to his on - field success Taylor was already developing a reputation for recklessness off the field ; after nearly getting killed during the season when his speeding resulted in a car crash , Young told the team ' s trainer he would be surprised if the linebacker lived past the age of 30 , and the Giants insured Taylor ' s life for $ 2 million . The 1982 NFL season , which was shortened to nine regular season games by a players strike , included one of the more memorable plays of Taylor ' s career . In the nationally televised Thanksgiving Day game against the Detroit Lions , the teams were tied 6 – 6 early in the fourth quarter , when the Lions drove deep into New York territory . Lions quarterback Gary Danielson dropped back to pass and threw the ball out to his left toward the sidelines . Taylor ran in front of the intended receiver , intercepted the pass , and returned it 97 yards for a touchdown . This play was indicative of Taylor ' s unusual combination , even for a linebacker , of power with speed . He was again named Defensive Player Of The Year . The Giants finished 4 - 5 and out of the playoffs . After the 1982 season , Perkins became head coach of the University of Alabama and the Giants hired Parcells to replace him . In the coming years this change would prove crucial to the Giants and Taylor . Leading up to the 1983 season , Taylor engaged in a training camp holdout that lasted three weeks and ended when he came back to the team under his old contract with three games left in the preseason . Although Taylor recorded nine sacks and made the All - Pro team for the third consecutive season in 1983 , the Giants struggled . The team went 3 – 12 – 1 , and Parcells received heavy criticism from fans and the media . Taylor was forced to play inside linebacker for part of the season , a position which allowed him less pass rushing opportunities , when Carson was injured . Frustrated by the losing , Taylor began acting out by arriving late for meetings , and not participating in conditioning drills in practice . After the season , Taylor was involved in a fight for his services between the Giants and the New Jersey Generals of the United States Football League . Taylor was given a $ 1 million interest - free , 25 - year loan by Generals owner Donald Trump on December 14 , 1983 , with the provision that he begin playing in the USFL in 1988 . Taylor regretted the decision , and less than a month later attempted to renege . His agent was able to negotiate by meeting with Trump personally and then the Giants which resulted in allowing Taylor to go with the Giants . Taylor got a 6 - year $ 6 . 55 - million package that also included a $ 1 million interest - free loan . The main results of these negotiations were threefold : 1 ) Taylor returned the $ 1 million to Trump , 2 ) the Giants paid Trump $ 750 , 000 over the next five seasons , and 3 ) the Giants gave Taylor a new six - year , $ 6 . 2 - million - dollar contract . The Giants ' record rebounded to 9 – 7 in 1984 , and Taylor had his fourth All - Pro season . He got off to a quick start , recording four sacks in a September game . In the playoffs the Giants defeated the Los Angeles Rams 16 – 13 , but lost 21 – 10 to the eventual champion 49ers . In contrast to the previous season the Giants headed into the 1985 season with a sense of optimism after their successful 1984 campaign and a 5 – 0 pre - season record . The Giants went 10 – 6 , and Taylor spearheaded a defense that led the NFL in sacks with 68 . Taylor had 13 . One of the more memorable plays of his career occurred during this season . On a " Monday Night Football " game against the Redskins , Taylor ' s sack of Redskins quarterback Joe Theismann inadvertently resulted in a compound fracture of Theismann ' s right leg . After the sack , a distraught Taylor screamed for paramedics to attend to Theismann . Although this sack ended Theismann ' s career , Theismann has never blamed Taylor for the injury . Taylor says he has never seen video of the play and never wants to . During the first round of the playoffs , the Giants defeated the defending champion 49ers 17 – 3 , but lost to the eventual champion Chicago Bears in the second round 21 – 0 . Mid - career and championships : 1986 – 1990 . In 1986 Taylor had one of the most successful seasons by a defensive player in the history of the NFL . He recorded a league - leading 20 . 5 sacks and became one of just two defensive players to win the NFL Most Valuable Player award and the only defensive player to be the unanimous selection for MVP . He also was named Defensive Player Of The Year for the third time . The Giants finished the season 14 – 2 and outscored San Francisco and Washington by a combined score of 66 – 3 in the NFC playoffs . He appeared on the cover of " Sports Illustrated " alone the week leading up to Super Bowl XXI with a warning from the magazine to the Denver Broncos regarding Taylor . The Giants overcame a slow start in Super Bowl XXI to defeat Denver 39 – 20 . Taylor made a key touchdown preventing tackle on a goal line play in the first half , stopping Broncos quarterback John Elway as he sprinted out on a rollout . With the Super Bowl win , Taylor capped off an unprecedented start to his career . After six years , he had been named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award ( 1981 ) , NFL Defensive Player of the Year a record three times ( 1981 , 1982 , 1986 ) , First - team All - Pro six times , become the first defensive player in NFL history unanimously voted the league ' s MVP ( 1986 ) , and led his team to a championship ( 1986 ) . After the win , however , Taylor felt let down rather than elated . Taylor said : The Giants appeared to have a bright future coming off their 1986 championship season as they were one of the younger teams in the league . They struggled the next season however , falling to 6 – 9 in the strike - shortened 1987 season . Taylor caused strife in the locker room when he broke the picket line after early struggles by the team . He explained his decision by saying " The Giants are losing . And I ' m losing $ 60 , 000 a week . " He finished the season as the team leader in sacks with 12 in 12 games played , but missed a game due to a hamstring injury , ending his consecutive games played streak at 106 . The Giants looked to rebound to their championship ways in 1988 but the start of the season was marred by controversy surrounding Taylor . He tested positive for cocaine and was suspended by the league for thirty days , as it was his second violation of the NFL ' s substance abuse policy . The first result in 1987 had been kept private and was not known to the public at the time . He was kept away from the press during this period and checked himself into rehab in early September . Taylor ' s over - the - edge lifestyle was becoming an increasing concern for fans and team officials . This was especially true given the eventual career paths of talented players like Hollywood Henderson and others whose drug problems derailed their careers . The Giants went 2 – 2 in the games Taylor missed . When Taylor returned he was his usual dominant self as he led the team in sacks again , with 15 . 5 in 12 games played . The season also contained some of the more memorable moments of Taylor ' s career . In a crucial late - season game with playoff implications against the New Orleans Saints , Taylor played through a torn pectoral muscle to record seven tackles , three sacks , and two forced fumbles . Taylor ' s presence in the lineup was important as the Giants ' offense was having trouble mounting drives , and was dominated in time of possession . Television cameras repeatedly cut to the sidelines to show him in extreme physical pain as he was being attended to by the Giants staff . Taylor had already developed a reputation for playing through pain ; in a 1983 game against the Eagles the team ' s training staff had to hide his helmet to prevent the injured Taylor from returning to the field . Taylor ' s shoulder was so injured that he had to wear a harness to keep it in its place . The Giants held on for a 13 – 12 win , and Parcells later called Taylor ' s performance " [ t ] he greatest game I ever saw . " However , the Giants narrowly missed the playoffs in 1988 at 10 – 6 by losing tie - breakers with the Eagles in their division and the Rams for the Wild card . In 1989 , Taylor recorded 15 sacks . He was forced to play the latter portion of the season with a fractured tibia , suffered in a 34 – 24 loss to the 49ers in week 12 , which caused him to sit out the second half of several games . Despite his off - the - field problems , Taylor remained popular among his teammates and was voted defensive co - captain along with Carl Banks . The two filled the defensive captain ' s spot vacated by the retired Harry Carson . The retirement of the nine - time Pro Bowler Carson , broke up the Giants linebacker corps of Carson , Reasons , Banks , and Taylor , which spearheaded the team ' s defense nicknamed the " Big Blue Wrecking Crew " in the 1980s . The Giants went 12 – 4 , and advanced to the playoffs . In an exciting , down - to - the - wire game , the Rams eliminated the Giants 19 – 13 in the first round , despite Taylor ' s two sacks and one forced fumble . Taylor held out of training camp before the 1990 season , demanding a new contract with a salary of $ 2 million per year . Talks dragged into September with neither side budging , and as the season approached Taylor received fines at the rate of $ 2 , 500 dollars a day . He signed a three - year $ 5 million contract ( making him the highest paid defensive player in the league ) just four days before the season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles . Despite sitting out training camp and the preseason , Taylor recorded three sacks and a forced fumble against the Eagles . He finished with 10 . 5 sacks and earned his 10th Pro Bowl in as many years , although the season marked the first time in Taylor ' s career that he was not selected to the All - Pro team . The Giants started out 10 – 0 and finished with a 13 – 3 record . In the playoffs , the Giants defeated the Bears 31 – 3 , and faced the rival 49ers in the NFC Championship Game . They won 15 – 13 , after Taylor recovered a key fumble late in the game to set up Matt Bahr ' s game - winning field goal . In Super Bowl XXV , they played the Buffalo Bills and won one of the more entertaining Super Bowls in history , 20 - 19 , after Buffalo ' s Scott Norwood missed a potential game - winning field goal as time expired . Final years and decline : 1991 – 1993 . Following the 1990 season , Parcells , with whom Taylor had become very close , retired , and the team was taken over by Ray Handley . 1991 marked a steep decline in Taylor ' s production . It became the first season in his career in which he failed to make the Pro Bowl squad , after setting a then record by making it in his first ten years in the league . Taylor finished with 7 sacks in 14 games and the Giants defense , while still respectable , was no longer one of the top units in the league . Taylor rebounded in the early stages of what many thought would be his final season in 1992 . Through close to nine games Taylor was on pace for 10 sacks and the Giants were 5 – 4 . However , a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered in a game on November 8 , 1992 against Green Bay sidelined him for the final seven games , during which the team went 1 – 6 . Before the injury Taylor had missed only four games due to injury in his 12 - year career . Throughout the 1992 season , and the ensuing offseason , Taylor was noncommittal about his future , alternately saying he might retire , then later hinting he wanted a longer - term contract . Taylor returned for the 1993 season enticed by the chance to play with a new coach ( Dan Reeves ) , and determined not to end his career due to an injury . The Giants had a resurgent season in 1993 . They finished 11 – 5 , and competed for the top NFC playoff seed . Taylor finished with 6 sacks , and the Giants defense led the NFL in fewest points allowed . They defeated the Vikings 17 – 10 in the opening round of the playoffs . The next week on January 15 , 1994 in what would be Taylor ' s final game , the Giants were beaten 44 – 3 by the 49ers . As the game came to a conclusion , television cameras drew in close on Taylor who was crying . He announced his retirement at the post - game press conference saying , " I think it ' s time for me to retire . I ' ve done everything I can do . I ' ve been to Super Bowls . I ' ve been to playoffs . I ' ve done things that other people haven ' t been able to do in this game before . After 13 years , it ' s time for me to go . " Taylor ended his career with 1 , 088 tackles , 132 . 5 sacks ( not counting the 9 . 5 sacks he recorded as a rookie because sacks did not become an official statistic until 1982 ) , nine interceptions , 134 return yards , two touchdowns , 33 forced fumbles , 11 fumble recoveries , and 34 fumble return yards . Legacy . Taylor is considered one of the best players to ever play in the NFL , and has been ranked as the top defensive player in league history by news outlets , media members , former players and coaches . He has also been described as one of the most " feared " and " intimidating " players in NFL history . Taylor ' s explosive speed and power is credited with changing the position of outside linebacker from a " read and react " type of position to a more attacking , aggressive position . Redskins coach Joe Gibbs developed the two tight end offense and the position of h - back to prevent Taylor from blitzing into the backfield unhindered . " We had to try in some way have a special game plan just for Lawrence Taylor . Now you didn ' t do that very often in this league but I think he ' s one person that we learned the lesson the hard way . We lost ball games . " His skills changed the way offensive coaches blocked linebackers . In the late ' 70s and early ' 80s , a blitzing linebacker was picked up by a running back . However , these players were no match for Taylor . The tactic employed by Bill Walsh in the 1982 playoffs , using an offensive guard to block Taylor , was copied around the league . However , this left a hole in pass protection that a blitzing middle linebacker could exploit . Later , Walsh and other coaches began using offensive tackles to block Taylor . Later it became common for offensive linemen to pick up blitzing linebackers . In addition to the changes in offensive schemes Taylor influenced , he also introduced new defensive techniques to the game such as chopping the ball out of the quarterback ' s hands rather than tackling him . Drugs and extreme measures . In contrast to his success on the football field , Taylor ' s personal life has been marred by drug usage and controversy . When Taylor was once asked what he could do that no outside linebacker could , his answer was , " Drink " . However , alcohol abuse was not the largest of his substance abuse problems . After admitting to and testing positive for cocaine in 1987 , he was suspended from football for 30 days in 1988 after failing a second drug test . After his second positive test he gave up drugs for five years as a third positive test would have ended his career . As he approached retirement , however , he looked forward to picking up the habit again , saying in his second autobiography , " I saw coke as the only bright spot in my future . " After his retirement , he began abusing drugs on a regular basis . He went through drug rehab twice in 1995 , only to later be arrested twice over a three - year span for attempting to buy cocaine from undercover police officers . During this period , he lived almost exclusively in his home with white sheets covering his windows and only associated with other drug users . Taylor later said , “ I had gotten really bad . I mean my place was almost like a crack house . " In his second autobiography , Taylor admitted that he had begun using drugs as early as his rookie season in the NFL . He has also stated that his first wife , Linda , mother to his three children , once had to come pick him up from a crack house during his playing career . In a November 2003 interview with Mike Wallace on the television news magazine " 60 Minutes " , Taylor claimed he hired and sent prostitutes to opponents ' hotel rooms the night before a game in an attempt to tire them out , and that at his peak , he spent thousands of dollars a day on narcotics . He also recounted several other instances of aberrant behavior , including arriving to a team meeting during his playing career in handcuffs after spending a night with some call girl s . He said , " A couple of ladies that were trying out some new equipment they had . You know ? And I just happened to , and they just didn ' t happen to have the key . ” He also said that to beat NFL drug tests , he routinely submitted the urine of his teammates . Post - NFL life . In Taylor ' s final year in the NFL he started a company called All - Pro Products . The company went public at $ 5 a share , and tripled in value during its first month . The stock price reached $ 16 . 50 a share , at which point Taylor ' s stake had an estimated value of over $ 10 million . The company ceased production shortly thereafter however , and Taylor , who never sold his stock , lost several hundred thousand dollars . He had been defrauded by several members of the penny stock firm Hanover Sterling & Company , who had short sold the company ' s stock , making it worthless . The Securities and Exchange Commission ruled that two traders had manipulated the price of the stock , which skyrocketed while the company was losing over $ 900 , 000 . Taylor has also had self - inflicted financial problems ; in 1997 he pled guilty to filing a false tax return in 1990 , and in 2000 he was " sentenced to three months of house arrest , five years of probation , and 500 hours of community service for tax evasion . " After his career ended , Taylor worked in several regular television jobs . He first worked as a football analyst for the now defunct " TNT Sunday Night Football " . In a one - off show , Taylor also appeared as a wrestler in the World Wrestling Federation , defeating Bam Bam Bigelow in the main event of WrestleMania XI . He also worked as a color commentator on an amateur fighting program entitled " Toughman " on the FX channel . On September 4 , 1995 , the Giants retired Phil Simms ' jersey during halftime of a game against the Cowboys ( Taylor had his number retired the year before ) . Simms celebrated the moment by throwing an impromptu ceremonial pass to Taylor . Simms recalled , " [ a ] ll of a sudden it kind of hit me , I ' ve put Lawrence in a really tough spot ; national TV , he ' s got dress shoes and a sports jacket on , and he ' s had a few beers and he ' s going to run down the field and I ' m going to throw him a pass . " Simms motioned for Taylor to run a long pattern and after 30 – 40 yards threw him the pass . Taylor later said the situation made him more nervous than any play of his career , " I ' m saying to myself ( as the pass is being thrown ) , ' If I drop this pass , I got to run my black ass all the way back to Upper Saddle River because there ain ' t no way I ' m going to be able to stay in that stadium ' . " Taylor caught the pass , however , and the capacity crowd in attendance cheered in approval . Taylor pursued a career in acting , appearing in the Oliver Stone movie " Any Given Sunday " where he played a character much like himself . He appeared as himself in the HBO series " The Sopranos " and the film " The Waterboy " . He also had a role in the 2000 version of " Shaft " . Taylor voiced the steroid - riddled , possibly insane former football player B . J . Smith in the video game , " " . The character poked fun at his fearsome , drug - fueled public image . He also added his voice to the video game " " and , which were partially based on his life in the NFL . He also acted in the 2000 Christian film " Mercy Streets " with Eric Roberts and Stacy Keach , and the 2003 prison movie " In Hell " with Jean - Claude Van Damme . In 1999 , when Taylor became eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame , there were some concerns that his hard - partying lifestyle and drug abuse would hurt his candidacy . These concerns proved to be ill - founded , however , as he was voted in on the first ballot . His son Lawrence Taylor Jr . gave his introduction speech at the induction ceremony . Taylor ' s ex - wife , his three children , and his parents were in attendance and during his induction speech Taylor acknowledged them saying , " [ t ] hank you for putting up with me for all those years . " He also credited former Giants owner Wellington Mara for being supportive of him saying , " [ h ] e probably cared more about me as a person than he really should have . " Taylor is currently married to his third wife . His soul - wrenching admissions to Mike Wallace in 2003 reignited his popularity with the public . Taylor often spoke of his NFL years , which he played with reckless abandon , and the drug - abusing stages of his life as the " L . T . " periods of his life . He described " L . T . " as an adrenaline junkie who lived life on a thrill ride . Taylor said in 2003 that " L . T . died a long time ago , and I don ' t miss him at all . . . all that ' s left is Lawrence Taylor . " Taylor re - emerged into the public eye in July 2006 , after appearing on the cover of a " Sports Illustrated " issue dedicated to former athletes and sport figures . In the magazine , Taylor credited his hobby of golf with helping him get over his previous hard - partying ways and drug filled lifestyle . He co - founded eXfuze , a network marketing company based in West Palm Beach , Florida . Along with former NFL players , such as Eric Dickerson and Seth Joyner , he was a spokesman for Seven + , the flagship multi - botanical drink produced by the company . His son Brandon recently signed a national letter to play with the Purdue Boilermakers . Taylor was a contestant on the 8th season of " Dancing with the Stars " , partnered with Edyta Śliwińska . He was eliminated in the seventh week on the April 21 , 2009 show . In 2009 , Taylor started having troubles in his personal life again . On November 8 , he was arrested in Miami - Dade County , Florida for leaving the scene of an accident after striking another vehicle with his Cadillac Escalade . He had already committed the same offense in 1996 when he totaled his Lexus in a one - car accident and left the scene , saying he did not think the law required the reporting of a single driver incident . He was released on a $ 500 bond , and the other driver later sued him , seeking $ 15 , 000 . He was arrested six months later for having sex with a 16 - year - old girl . He was charged with felony third - degree statutory rape , for allegedly engaging in sexual intercourse with someone under 17 . He was also charged with third - degree patronization for allegedly paying the underage girl $ 300 to have sex with him . Taylor pled guilty and on March 22 , 2011 was sentenced to six years probation as part of a plea agreement , in which he pled guilty to the misdemeanors of sexual misconduct and patronizing a prostitute . He will also have to register as a low - risk level one sex offender . On October 26 , 2012 , a court rejected the victim ' s claims that Taylor assaulted her . Career statistics . Sources : < nowiki > * < / nowiki > Unofficial statistic ( sacks did not become an official statistic until 1982 ) ; however , this number is stated on Taylor ' s Pro Football Hall of Fame bio and is considered to be accurate . < nowiki > * * < / nowiki > Including the 9 . 5 Taylor unofficially recorded as a rookie , his total is 142 . Key to Abbreviations GP = Games Played Int = Interception Yds = Yards TD = Touchdowns FR = Fumbles Recovered