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What Is Lawrence Taylor’s Net Worth?
Lawrence Taylor, often known as “L.T.,” is a retired American professional football player with an estimated net worth of $200,000. He established himself as one of the best defensive players in NFL history during his career. Despite his achievements on the field, Taylor’s career was also marred by drug use and legal issues.
Early Life and Football Beginnings
Lawrence Taylor was born on February 4, 1959, in Williamsburg, Virginia. Growing up with two brothers, his initial interest was in baseball. It wasn’t until grade 11 that he started playing organized football. Taylor’s talents were soon put to good use at the University of North Carolina, where he became the captain of their football team. As a linebacker, he achieved 16 sacks in his final season and set several defensive records before leaving the school.
Professional Football Career and Contract Details
In 1981, Lawrence Taylor was drafted by the New York Giants. GM George Young predicted that he would surpass other legends in the sport. In his first exhibition game against the Chicago Bears, he recorded two sacks. By the end of the season, he was named Defensive Rookie of the Year, and his first season is widely considered one of the best in NFL history.
During his early career, Taylor’s private life began to show cracks. After a reckless driving incident, the Giants took out a $2 million insurance policy on his life. Although he was named Defensive Player of the Year in 1982, his attitude changed when Bill Parcels became the head coach. After a losing streak, he started to arrive late for meetings and training drills.
Donald Trump offered Taylor a $1 million loan to play in the United States Football League (USFL) for the New Jersey Generals. However, Taylor changed his mind, and a negotiation between Trump and the Giants resulted in Taylor paying back the $1 million loan. Following this, Lawrence Taylor returned to the Giants and was given a six-year, $6.2 million contract.
In 1985, Lawrence Taylor ended Joe Theismann’s career by sacking him and breaking his leg. In 1986, he amassed over 20 sacks and won both the MVP award and the Defensive Player of the Year Award. The Giants won the Super Bowl that year, largely due to a touchdown-preventing tackle by L.T. This was the high point of his career, and he expressed a sense of disappointment, knowing it was probably never going to get better.
After testing positive for cocaine in 1988, Taylor was suspended for 30 days, marking his second drug violation, as a prior incident was kept under wraps in 1987. As the new season approached in 1990, Taylor fought for an improved contract and eventually settled for a three-year contract worth $5 million.
As injuries took their toll, Lawrence Taylor was determined to finish on a high note. In 1994, he accepted that his career was over, leaving the field in tears after losing 44-3 to the San Francisco 49ers. By the end of his NFL career, Taylor had established a record of 1,089 tackles and over 132 sacks.
Other Ventures After Football and Financial Issues
After his NFL career, L.T. worked as a pundit for several years. He also appeared in movies like Shaft, Any Given Sunday, The Waterboy, and Mercy Streets. Additionally, he guest-starred in The Sopranos and booked voice acting roles in video games like Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. In 2004, Taylor published an autobiography titled LT: Over the Edge.
Taylor lost hundreds of thousands of dollars after his company, All-Pro Products, was defrauded by a firm who short-sold his stocks. At one point, Taylor’s stake in the company was worth over $100 million. In 1997, L.T. pleaded guilty to tax evasion and was sentenced to three months of house arrest and five years of probation.
Personal Struggles, Legal Issues and Net Worth
After his retirement, it was revealed that Taylor had been abusing drugs for much of his NFL career, using teammates’ urine samples to dupe drug testers. His wife stated that she once had to collect L.T. from a crackhouse. After failing his second drug test in 1988, he abstained from drug use until his retirement. However, things started to fall apart when he retired, leading to two rehab center visits in 1995 and arrests for attempting to buy cocaine from undercover police officers in subsequent years.
After a number of auto-related incidents, Lawrence became embroiled in serious trouble when he was arrested for having sex with a 16-year-old girl. Charged with a third-degree felony of statutory rape and patronizing a prostitute, Taylor pleaded guilty in 2011. He accepted six years of probation as part of a plea deal agreement and was required to register as a sex offender. These incidents have likely contributed to his current estimated net worth of $200,000.
