Former New York Giants defensive star and proud member of the Hall of Fame, Lawrence Taylor, was known for his insane and sometimes reckless play.
On Showtime’s “Inside The NFL” Taylor admits he had no control of his off-the-field actions.
The Giants’ legend was sentenced to six years of probation on March 22 for paying an underage girl for sex. The incident happened in Montebello the previous May.
“As a football player, I know everything about football, I mean as far as defense and stuff,” Taylor said on Showtime. “I know what every player is supposed to do. I know where every player is supposed to be. I can see the play before it happens. I know where I’m supposed to be. I know how to manage a football game.
Taylor said he took the seriousness of the crime lightly because he played for the Giants and felt he was a star.
“Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that, ‘Hey, I’m a chronic bad person,” he said. “As an athlete, they may overlook a couple things. … Nowadays, you guys are on 24-hours-a-day so everything that happens is actually exploited a little bit more or is blown up a little bit more and more people know about it.
“So now you have to really discipline yourself. For years, I had no discipline. I could do what I wanted to do as far as playing in New York. I could do what I wanted to do as long as it was still within the law. … Life … sometimes it just throws you some curves and just have to realize that this is a different time and different age, and you have to tell yourself to be a man, boy.
“I just wish that I could have an easier road in life. Because as easy as football is to me … is as hard as life is to me. I’m just hopeful that life will come easier.”
Taylor, who admitted that “there are times where I get really, really depressed,” explained what happened when he was arrested.
“All I could do is ask the question, how old are you? … That’s all I could do is ask the question,” he said. “Now, whether or not the girl was underage, yes, OK, she turned out to be underage. I’m sitting in the daggum police station and wondering, ‘Oh wow, what time am I going to be let out of here? If I can play golf, I’ve got a tee time at 7 o’clock.’
“I didn’t realize how serious it was until we sat down and had an interview.”
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