Lawrence Taylor Jr. Case: Arrest, Guilty Plea, and Sentence

The Lawrence Taylor Jr. case ended in May 2015 when Taylor, the son of NFL Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor, pleaded guilty in Cobb County, Georgia, to child molestation and rape involving two underage girls. He was sentenced to ten years in prison followed by twenty years of probation and required to register as a sex offender.¹

The 2013 Arrest in Powder Springs

On July 6, 2013, two minor girls independently contacted Powder Springs, Georgia, police about sexual contact with Taylor, who was then 31. One reported that she had been sexually assaulted that day at a home owned by Taylor’s mother. The other described a sexual relationship with Taylor dating to early 2012; because she was a minor, she could not consent under Georgia law.² According to contemporaneous reporting, one victim reached out to police while she was at lunch with Taylor and the other girl.³

Taylor was arrested the next evening, July 7, 2013, at the Powder Springs residence where both girls were present. The arrest warrant stated that he “forcibly engaged in oral sex” with one of the victims, who had asked him to stop “numerous times.”⁴ He was booked into the Cobb County Adult Detention Center and held without bond on three felony counts: aggravated sodomy, aggravated child molestation, and statutory rape. The two aggravated counts carried potential sentences of 25 years to life.²

Guilty Plea and Sentence

Nearly two years later, on May 4, 2015, Taylor pleaded guilty in Cobb County to child molestation and rape. The plea came a day before trial was scheduled to begin.⁵ The original aggravated charges, which had exposed him to a possible life sentence, were resolved as part of the arrangement.¹

The total sentence was 30 years: ten in prison followed by twenty on probation, plus mandatory sex offender registration.¹ Assistant District Attorney Hannah Palmquist said the deal was structured to keep the victims off the stand. “Justice was done in this case, not only because the defendant will serve 10 years in prison, but because the victims will not have to be put through the emotional toll of a trial,” she said.⁶

The Victim’s Family Reaction

The father of the victim in the child molestation count publicly criticized the outcome. He said he felt “like my heart had been ripped out of my chest,” called the ten-year prison term “a slap on the wrist,” and said Taylor “knowingly and willfully did what he did.”⁷

Where the Case Stands

Taylor began serving the prison portion of the sentence after the May 2015 plea. Based on those terms, he would have been eligible for release around 2025, at which point the twenty-year probation period and sex offender registration requirements begin. The available reporting does not confirm the exact date of his release from custody.

Who Is Lawrence Taylor Jr.

Known as “TJ,” Taylor introduced his father at the elder Taylor’s 1999 Pro Football Hall of Fame induction. He played linebacker at North Carolina Central University, an NCAA Division II program, recording 64 total tackles over 18 games in four seasons.⁸ He later played one season with the Florida Frenzy of the National Indoor Football League and signed with the Texas Copperheads of the af2 league in March 2007.⁹

1
Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Son of NFL Star Lawrence Taylor Pleads Guilty to Molestation, Rape
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ESPN. Lawrence Taylor Jr. Facing Rape Charges
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Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Powder Springs Police Charge Son of NFL Star Lawrence Taylor With Statutory Rape
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NBC News. Lawrence Taylor Jr. Arrested on Rape Charge
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CBS Sports. Lawrence Taylor Jr. Pleads Guilty to Statutory Rape, Child Molestation
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New York Daily News. Lawrence Taylor Jr., Son of NFL Great, Pleads Guilty to Statutory Rape, Child Molestation
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The Root. Son of Former NFL Great Pleads Guilty to Child Molestation
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NCCU Eagle Pride. Lawrence Taylor Jr. Roster Page
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Houston Chronicle. Lawrence Taylor’s Son Playing for Copperheads