Former New York Giants player Lawrence Taylor was arrested in Florida on Wednesday behind accusations of failure to follow conditions imposed on him as a registered sex offender.
The Broward County Sherriff’s Office told DailyMail.com the 65-year-old turned himself in at the main jail in Fort Lauderdale on the felony warrant and was released on bail on Thursday.
Taylor reportedly turned himself in around 5pm and remained in jail for several hours before getting released around 3am.
According to the former linebacker’s lawyer, Mark Eiglarsh, the situation sprouted from a big ‘misunderstanding’.
‘My client, Lawrence Taylor, will be pleading ‘Not Guilty’ to the recent charges,’ Eiglarsh told DailyMail.com. ‘As with the previous incident involving the same allegations, Mr. Taylor did not knowingly commit any criminal offense.’
‘This situation is a significant misunderstanding. We are confident that, once the prosecutors review the exculpatory evidence demonstrating Mr. Taylor’s innocence, he will once again achieve a favorable outcome.’
Wednesday’s arrest is the second time Taylor was hit with similar allegations in a short span. In 2021, he was locked up after living in a hotel for months.
The Pro Football Hall of Famer was declared a sex offender in 2011 after he was accused of being intimate with a 16-year-old girl. The conditions of his status include letting law enforcement know of residence or name changes.
In the 2021 case, Taylor cut a deal with prosecutors and pleaded no contest to a lesser charge of residency restriction for persons convicted of certain sex offenses. His first court date for the most recent arrest is yet to be determined.
Taylor spent his entire career, spanning from 1981-1993, with the Giants. During his playing days, he collected two Super Bowls, was crowned NFL MVP in 1986, and 10 Pro Bowl selections.
He also received eight first-team All-Pro nods, was named Defensive Player of the Year on three different occasions, and was part of the NFL 75th and 100th Anniversary All-Time teams.
Furthermore, the Giants retired Taylor’s jersey number (56) and inducted him into the New York Giants Ring of Honor.