SUFFERN, N.Y. – Football Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor was arrested Thursday in connection with a reported rape in the New York City suburbs, police said.
Ramapo Detective Lt. Brad Weidel said the former New York Giants linebacker had not been formally charged, but that police were investigating a reported rape that occurred earlier Thursday at a hotel in Montebello.
Police said they would hold a news conference Thursday afternoon. They did not immediately respond to questions about the circumstances of the arrest and whether Taylor, 51, had a lawyer.
Multiple media outlets reported more details about the alleged victim. The New York Post and Journal News both said Thursday that the victim was a teenage girl under the control of a pimp. Both papers also reported that the girl was physically injured during the incident. Her exact age was reported as 16 by the Post and 15 by the Journal News .
"She was a runaway since March and there was a pimp involved," an authority told the Journal News . "She got punched in the face. We're not sure who did it."
An attorney for Taylor, Kenneth Gribetz, said he expected Taylor to be arraigned later Thursday.
"We're confident his innocence will be proven,'' he said.
Taylor was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1999 and competed in ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" last year. He had a highly publicized struggle with drug addiction and has had multiple legal run-ins in retirement.
A quick, fierce and athletic linebacker who redefined his position, Taylor anchored the Giants' defense and led New York to Super Bowls titles in 1987 and 1991. He was selected to the NFL's 75th Anniversary All-Time Team.
A 10-time Pro Bowler, he was the NFL Most Valuable Player in 1986 and the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1981, 1982 and 1986. He recorded 132.5 sacks, which doesn't included the 9.5 sacks in 1981 when the statistic wasn't official.
In 2001, Taylor was convicted of possessing drug paraphernalia in New Jersey. The conviction stemmed from the September 1998 discovery in a hotel room of a butane torch and other materials commonly used to smoke crack.
In 1996 and 1997, he was arrested in South Carolina and Florida on drug charges. In those cases, he either admitted his guilt or agreed to enter a pretrial intervention program.
In 2000, he drew five years of federal probation for filing false tax returns and for tax evasion.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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