Lawrence Taylor arrives to the Rockland County Courthouse in New City, N.Y., Tuesday, March 22, 2011. (Seth Wenig)
Former football star Lawrence Taylor was sentenced Tuesday to six years on probation for an encounter with an underage prostitute, but the girl told the media afterward that he should have gone to jail.
The New York Giants ex-linebacker pleaded guilty in January to sexual misconduct and having sex with an underage prostitute.
The girl, now 17, appeared in court with well-known attorney Gloria Allred and said afterward that Taylor took “something precious” from her and should be behind bars. The girl has been identified in court and by Allred only by her initials, C.F.
The teen denied she is a prostitute and said another man forced her to go to Taylor’s hotel room in May 2010. She believes Taylor could tell that she had been beaten.
“I believe Mr. Taylor could see my face and how young I was,” she said.
She added, “I did what he told me to do because I was afraid what would happen if I didn’t.”
The other man has been identified in a separate federal prosecution in Manhattan as Rasheed Davis, who is accused of acting as the girl’s pimp and who allegedly assaulted her and brought her to Taylor’s hotel room. Prosecutors have credited Taylor with helping them in that case.
Allred said the girl had wanted to read a victim-impact statement in court. The judge, however, said victims are entitled to speak only at felony sentencings. Taylor had pleaded guilty to misdemeanors.
Taylor was arrested May 6 at a Holiday Inn in Montebello, N.Y., after the girl’s uncle contacted New York City police. The ex-athlete was charged with third-degree rape because she was underage.
When he pleaded guilty to the lesser charges, Taylor admitting having intercourse with the girl, who turned out to be a Bronx runaway. He said she told him she was 19, but he added that he now knows the girl was 16 and legally incapable of consent. He said he paid her $300.
Taylor led the New York Giants to Super Bowl titles in 1987 and 1991. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the NFL’s 75th Anniversary All-Time Team.
In 2009, he competed in ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars.” He had also been a spokesman for the weight-loss company NutriSystem, but he was dropped after his arrest.
Taylor also will have to abide by the conditions of a sex offender, but the judge postponed until April 12 a hearing to determine what level of sex offender will be assigned to him.
All sex offenders have to report their addresses annually and report changes within 10 days.
In Level 1 and 2, offenders have to get their picture taken every three years; in Level 3, it’s every year. A Level 3 offender also has to report the name and address of his employer and advise of any change.
John Caher, spokesman for the state Criminal Justice Services Division, said Level 1 offenders aren’t posted on a public website, but anyone who calls the division can find out if a person is a sex offender.
Taylor’s attorney, Arthur Aidala, persuaded state Supreme Court Justice William Kelly to modify some of the probation restrictions generally imposed on sex offenders. For example, the judge said Taylor would be allowed to bring his young son to school or to a park.
In addition, Taylor will be permitted to serve his probation in Broward County, Fla., where he lives.
Kelly offered Taylor a chance to speak in court before the sentencing but Taylor declined, saying, “I’m fine, judge.”
Allred would not say whether her client plans to sue Taylor.
She said Taylor “should be in the hall of shame, not the Hall of Fame.”
By JIM FITZGERALD, Associated Press
Lawrence Taylor Declared Low-Risk Sex Offender
