In various sports, we can find many legends and good players who, besides successful, had a controversial career. They always wanted to be different from other athletes and did not want to hide their lives from the public. This current text brings you the story of a very successful athlete who has had a lot of controversial career situations and who was always in the center of attention.
He had many ups and downs during his career, but he always succeeded in achieving success. Everyone who follows American football must have heard of this former player of this sport, and his name is Lawrence Taylor. He had a very successful career, but during it he had many problems with the law and with the use of drugs and illicit substances.
He spent his career at New York Giants and for this club he performed from 1981 to 1993. He is considered as one of the best players in this sport in history.
Many former and current players as well as coaches have stated that Taylor is one of the best defensive players in history. He managed to achieve a very successful career although he had many times had private and drug problems.
Taylor had a very rich and exciting career and we will describe in this text you details of his life and his career.
Early Years
Lawrence Taylor was born on February 4, 1959 in Williamsburg, Virginia, USA. He grew up with 2 brothers and his parents had different jobs. His father worked as a dispatcher and his mother was a schoolteacher at school. They have always strived to provide their children with a financially stable childhood and have spent a lot of time devoting their time to work.
During his growing up, Lawrence was always a smart boy who liked sports and was very hyperactive. His mother always said that other children asked for permission from their parents to do something, but that he always decided on himself, and never asked anyone for permission.
During the elementary school, he was very interested in baseball and played as a catcher at the local club. His parents felt that he could become successful in this sport, but after completing his primary school, Lawrence loved American football. He decided to start training this sport and initially showed that he could become a great player.
When he went to high school, Taylor had several times a clash with the police. When he dropped out in the 2nd grade of high school, Taylor celebrated his birthday with his friends and made an incident in their neighborhood.
They were in an alcoholic state and committed several offenses and had to spend the night in jail. After this event, the coach in his high school wanted to throw him out of the team. Taylor was out of the team for several weeks, but the coach eventually decided to give him a new chance and Taylor was returned to the team.
After this event he wanted to devote himself to training every day and wanted to build an excellent career in this sport. After several months the coach gave him a chance to play in the starting lineup and Taylor used it in a great way. He managed to make excellent results and after the first season he became one of the best players in high school.
His parents wanted to help him financially to keep up with this sport and to enroll in a college where he could continue to train and play football. After finishing high school, he had excellent recommendations and went to Norh Carolina and started playing for their college team.
During the elementary and secondary school, Taylor gained many friends who felt that he was a very positive person who always helped his friends. He has entered into conflict with the police several times to defend his friends. His friends always remembered his actions and always said that Taylor was a very good man. He never drifted away from his dreams and always worked hard to succeed in becoming a good athlete.
When he was injured during the college he left the hospital 10 days before the recovery and went on a training session. The coaches and his teammates considered that he had returned to training early, but Taylor did not want to give up. After 2 weeks, he played the first match in which he was named the best player of the game.
After this game, he got the motivation to continue and make a career that will always be remembered by all fans of American football.
Career
Lawrence Taylor began his professional career in 1981 when he was selected as the 26th pick by New York Giants. This club turned out to be his future destination in the next 12 years.
When selected to play for this team, the coach and players of this team thought that Taylor would be one of the best players in the league and that he would help them to achieve success in the league. At the beginning of his first season, he did not play much in the game.
After 5 games he got the chance to start the match as a starter and took the opportunity in a great way. After this game, the coach gave him confidence and Taylor showed great results during the next games. After the first season, his team did not make significant progress, but Taylor had a solid first season.
The second season was shortened because the league had a lot of financial problems and New York played only 9 games in that season. Taylor could not show his talent and ability and had to wait for another season to show his skil. In the following season, he became a standard starter and became one of the best players in this team.
New York came to the semifinals of the conference but failed to enter the finals. Taylor was among the top 5 defenders in the league and the coach was sure he would be the best player in the league next season. In the upcoming season, New York was again eliminated in the semifinals, but Taylor was declared the best defensive player of the league, although they failed to enter the finals.
In the 1986 season, New York managed to enter the finals and Taylor was the most lucrative of this success. He scored unbelievable points and had the best statistics in the entire league. In the final they had a very tough opponent who had only one defeat during the season. But New York managed to surprise and managed to win the team that had the best results in the season.
Taylor was named the best player in the final, but also for the best player of the league. These awards have been a great honor for him and he has become the captain of this team and also one of the most paid players in the league.
The next season brought a lot of excitement, but Taylor had a knee injury in the middle of the season due to which he had to miss the rest of the season. After this event he was very disappointed and had to leave the field until the next season.
In the 1988 season, there was a great surprise, as Taylor was positive in drug testing. In the end, he admitted that he used cocaine when he made a break in his career during the injury, but that he would return to the field and that he would never again use this substance.
He received a suspension of half a year, but during the suspension he trained every day and maintained the form. After the suspension, he returned to the court and the coach gave him a new opportunity. He immediately started to play great and managed to make a series of 15 consecutive victories.
His team was first in the competition and Taylor in a short time had one of the best stats in the league. He managed to win the league again with his team once again and was named twice as the best defensive player of the league twice. He achieved a lot of success during his career and made a profit of about $ 20 million. Taylor said he thinks he could have been even more successful and could have earned even more profits if he did not make a few breaks during his career.
In his last two seasons, he managed to enter the finals of the conference once, and in his last season, his team was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. When he decided to retired, New York pulled out his jersey and his fans were very sad.
Personal Life
Lawrence Taylor had very controversial moments in his career and had several suspensions. When he was punished for using cocaine, this was his most difficult moment in his career and at that moment he thought he would have to end his career. But after a year, he returned to the right path and managed to revive his career.
When he retired, he took part in various TV shows in which he talked about his career. He advised young athletes never to use drugs and illicit substances because he will destroy his career in this way. He currently lives in San Francisco and has a very peaceful family life.
During 2018, he led his ESPN broadcasts in which he commented on matches in the NFL league and in which he expressed his views on the teams in the league.
Quick Summary
Full Name: Lawrence Taylor
Birthplace: Williamsburg, Virginia, USA
Date of birth: February 4, 1959
Age: 60
Proffesion: Former American Football Player
Height: 191 cm
Weight: 98 kg
Net Worth: $20 million