As expected, authorities announced earlier in the hour that Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor faces third-degree rape charges in New York after allegedly having sex with a 16-year-old girl. The charge is a felony, and it carries a maximum term of four years.
Ignorance, as police pointed out, is not a defense.
He also was charged with third-degree patronizing of a prostitute, a misdemeanor. Taylor allegedly paid her $300.
The alleged victim was reported to be missing by her family in March 2010.
Authorities said that no drugs were found in the hotel room where the alleged encounter occurred. A bottle of alcohol was found there.
Regarding a report that the girl has a mark on her face suggesting that she had been assaulted, police have stated that the injury was inflicted before her encounter with Taylor. After the encounter, a man named Rasheed Davis returned the girl to New York City.
Taylor currently remains in custody and he will be arraigned soon.