Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor, who faces multiple charges stemming from an encounter with an underage prostitute, will appear in court on Tuesday for his arraignment.
As we all learned from Joe Pesci’s exchange with Herman Munster, there are only two possible answers: guilty or absolutely, 100 percent not guilty.
Taylor will choose the latter, as every defendant who has not worked out a plea deal with the prosecution always does.
“I am saying that he did not have sexual intercourse, as it’s defined in the penal law, with this person,” lawyer Arthur Aidala told Jane McManus of ESPNNewYork.com.
Taylor’s defense apparently will be based on the notion that, while he paid $300 to the 16-year-old runaway-turned-prostitute, there was no intercourse or sexual contact. Instead, Taylor will attempt to create reasonable doubt based on the notion that he voluntarily exited The Contest.
On the surface, it may seem like a major stretch, especially since Aidala conceded early on that there was contact between Taylor and the girl. In a radio interview with WFAN’s Mike Francesa, Aidala said, “The evidence is gonna show that there was some contact between the two and that they did not have sex.” Aidala then clarified that by “sex” he meant intercourse.
As we thereafter explained, other types of non-intercourse sex could get Taylor convicted of a felony.
Still, keep in mind that, despite a mountain range of evidence pointing to O.J. Simpson’s guilt in 1995, the end result was that, in the eyes of the justice system, he was absolutely, 100 percent not guilty. So there’s hope for Taylor -- he doesn’t need to prove conclusively that no sex occurred. He needs only to raise a reasonable doubt.
