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Taylor pleads no contest in drug case
Posted: Wednesday December 01, 1999 09:05 AM
CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) -- NFL great Lawrence Taylor gave up his right to a jury trial Tuesday and decided not to fight cocaine charges. He entered a no contest plea to buying crack cocaine, possession of crack cocaine and possession of drug paraphernalia. His lawyer had earlier asked the judge to dismiss the charges, contending the Hall of Fame linebacker was entrapped by police. Angelo Ferlita said police used an informant to set up Taylor, preying on the retired football star because of his history of drug abuse. Asked why he changed his plea from innocent, Taylor, 40, told reporters as he left the courthouse: "I'm not answering nothing." Circuit Judge Lauren Laughlin withheld a finding of guilt and said she was prepared to sentence him to 18 months probation -- meaning he will have no criminal record in this case if he sucessfully completes probation. She set sentencing for Feb. 1 and ordered Taylor to pay about $1,250 court costs and the cost of the police investigation. Ferlita said it wasn't easy to get Taylor to switch his plea, calling the former player a competitor. "It's kind of tough to swallow that pill but now he's in a situation where he can move on with his life," Ferlita said, noting Taylor's appearance in the film "On Any Given Sunday" with Al Pacino, due for release Christmas Day. The plea came during a pretrial hearing. Police informant Clemente Brown took the stand and said Taylor approached him to buy drugs. Ferlita did not dispute that. However, he tried to portray Brown as a cocaine addict who hoped to score more drugs from Taylor and when he didn't, went to police offering to set up the ex-football player. Taylor, of Saddle River, N.J., was charged in October 1998 in St. Pete Beach. "We feel that the conduct of the police was so egregious that the court needs to dismiss this case," Ferlita said earlier. "To carry cocaine into the hotel room of a known cocaine addict" was improper. Taylor was arrested on similar charges three years ago in South Carolina. He enrolled in a program that enabled him to clear the charges from his record by completing 60 hours of community service and submitting to drug counseling and random drug testing. Taylor, who helped the New York Giants win two Super Bowls during a 13-year career, also underwent rehabilitation for a cocaine problem in 1985. He was suspended by the NFL two years later for violating the league's substance abuse policy. The informant who helped police make the arrest said in a deposition that Taylor approached him when he was in town for a charity golf tournament. Brown said the relationship started when Taylor introduced himself and asked if Brown could help find crack. Brown informed police, who later listened in as he called Taylor at his hotel on Oct. 18, 1998 to set up the deal. Taylor was nervous because police had stopped him earlier in the day and at first he put Brown off. Several hours later, an uninvited Brown knocked at Taylor's door with an undercover police officer posing as his wife. After a discussion, Taylor held up a $50 bill and the officer provided the crack. Taylor was then arrested.
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