NFL legend Lawrence Taylor accused of rape

UPDATE IV: Taylor's lawyer denies everything, and police say Taylor was very cooperative through the whole ordeal. Ramapo police say there's no evidence suggesting that Taylor's the one who caused the injuries to the girl. Another man, Rasheed Davis, 36, was also arrested and he is believed to have driven the girl to Taylor's hotel room and forced her to have sex with him. The official charges against Taylor are soliciting a prostitute and third-degree rape. In the state of New York, it's considered third degree rape when a person over the age of 21 has sex with someone under the age of 17.

UPDATE III: Another TMZ story quotes Taylor's wife as saying that this is all a set-up. She's not exactly an unbiased observer, but still, I don't think we can completely shut out the "set-up" theory. This is all really weird.

UPDATE II: The AP report says that Taylor has not been formally charged.

UPDATE: TMZ is reporting that police have found a condom in the hotel room where the alleged attack took place. They say the girl is 16 years old and was reported as a "runaway" a couple of months ago. Also according to the TMZ report, the girl had a pimp who was arrested, and she also had a "fresh" black eye, though it's not clear who gave it to her.

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According to LoHud.com, legendary New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor has been arrested and charged with raping a 15-year-old girl in Ramapo, NY.

The news is just breaking and details vary at the moment. A text alert from ESPN said that Taylor was arrested, but not yet charged, and they make no mention of the age of the girl. The LoHud.com report says that Taylor has indeed been charged, and provides a couple more details:

He was charged with third-degree rape, a charge that involves having intercourse with a minor. The victim was reportedly beaten during the attack.

The crime took place at the Holiday Inn of Suffern, located in Montebello, according to Ramapo police Detective Lt. Brad Weidel.

Taylor, of course, does not have a squeaky-clean image and has been in trouble with the law before. He tested positive for cocaine in 1987 and has been arrested twice for trying to buy drugs from undercover cops.

Obviously, we all hope the allegations aren't true, and we'll keep you updated if more details come to light.

Related: New York Giants, NFL Criminal Behavior

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The Saints are accused of some very non-Saintly things

In one of the weirdest offseason stories I can recall, the New Orleans Saints might be in a little trouble with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.

The dude behind it all is Geoffrey Santini, a retired FBI agent who then worked as the Saints security director. Santini filed a civil lawsuit against the Saints, alleging that they tried to cover up for a "senior staff member" who thieved some Vicodin.

Apart from the civil suit, the DEA also caught wind of these allegations and is now looking into it. At the moment, it's not a criminal investigation, but it could eventually get there.

So who's accused of doing what?

Well, the civil complaint claims that there's surveillance video of the "senior staff member" -- believed to be Joe Vitt, the Saints linebackers coach who also was briefly the head coach of the St. Louis Rams -- using a trainer's key to lift some Vicodin from the team's drug locker.

The civil complaint also says that Sean Payton, the Saints head coach, was "permitted to take a large enough amount of Vicodin from the team's drug locker to constitute abuse."

Now, Santini says he was ordered to keep this whole thing covered up, and that two trainers were ordered to doctor the log books and make it look like all the Vicodin was present and accounted for. He says that's why he resigned, and he wants damages and back pay.

The other side of the story?

Well, Sean Payton released a brief statement saying he's never abused or stolen Vicodin. Joe Vitt's said nothing, as of yet.

The other other side of the story? Well, Pro Football Talk reports from "multiple sources" that, before filing the civil suit, Santini asked the Saints to give him $2 million. Is this a story of an unhappy employee trying to squeeze some money from his employer? Who knows?

The surveillance video will be the compelling thing, along with any other proof Santini might be able to produce in regards to Payton or anyone else going along with a cover-up.

Right now, it's all just weird. The head coach of the reigning Super Bowl champions being involved in abuse of prescription narcotics, theft or a cover-up ... that's a story I think the media might be interested in. Spending $2 million to keep this out of headlines might not have been the worst idea in the world.

Related: New Orleans Saints, St. Louis Rams, NFL Criminal Behavior

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