Former New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor was arrested early Thursday morning and will be charged with third-degree rape involving a 15-year-old girl!

The incident is alleged to have occurred at a Holiday Inn hotel in Montebello, N.Y. and the victim was a runaway from the Bronx who was taken to the hotel by a pimp, according to Ramapo police supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence.

She was a runaway since March and there was a pimp involved. She got punched in the face. We?re not sure who did it.

The girl was was treated at a hospital.

Taylor was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999 and is considered one of the best defensive players of all time. He had a 13-year career with the NY Giants that was marred by problems with drugs and alcohol.

I recently watched A&E’s new “Fame & Recovery” series just the other day, where Taylor was one of the show’s participants. The show delved into his family life as well as his sports career and showed how his addiction to crack cocaine nearly destroyed his life.

In the episode, which also featured former Miss U.S.A. Tara Conner, the former football star revealed that he’d hit rock bottom after his family left in 1996 and that their huge family home became his personal drug den.

I tried to find that episode, but it’s not online yet but LT also discussed his issues with drugs on 60 minutes back in 2003:

Video ~ LT on 60 Minutes (2003)

Taylor was high most of his NFL career and managed to pass several drug tests even though he was totally strung out on his drug of choice. He was suspended several times by the league and was arrested multiple times for drug possession.

In the past few years, Mr. Taylor has re-emerged as a public personality, including working in front of the camera on NFL broadcasts, and has said his drug problems are a thing of the past.

The mugshot above is from an incident that occurred last November, where he was charged in Dade County, Fla. with leaving the scene of an accident.

In that case, Taylor was released on $500 bond; the case is still pending.

(source 1 and 2)

Update (5/6/10 5:30pm) : Via TMZ

With steel handcuffs clamped down on his wrists, NFL legend Lawrence Taylor just left a New York courtroom — where a judge set his bail at a whopping $75,000.

Taylor was formally arraigned on charges of 3rd degree rape (sex with a minor) and patronizing a prostitute in the 3rd degree.

The prosecution first requested that the judge set bail at $100k, citing LT’s lengthy criminal history. Taylor’s attorney called the request “ludicrous.” Ultimately, the judge settled on $75k.

Minutes before the arraignment, cops held a news conference, where they confirmed several facts:

— LT was “very cooperative” with police.

— Cops say LT had some alcohol inside his hotel room, but officials won’t specify what kind or how much. LT didn’t appear to be intoxicated when cops arrived to his room.

— Officers also claim LT did not attack his accuser, her black eye was caused before she arrived to his hotel room.

— LT has been charged with rape in the 3rd degree — which is essentially statutory rape.
The charge is a Class E felony — and if convicted, LT could face up to 4 years in prison.

Cops also state that LT has been charged with patronizing a prostitute in the 3rd degree — and if convicted, LT could face up to one year in jail.

— Cops confirm that LT is accused of paying $300 for sex.

— Officials “do not know” if the victim resisted having sex with LT — it’s important to recognize that LT has not been charged with forcible rape.

— Cops say LT did not answer the door when they arrived — so they let themselves in. Cops say they did not have a search warrant, because they didn’t need one.