Lawrence Taylor in Trouble Again: Why We Shouldn't Be Surprised

Lawrence Taylor once again finds himself falling on the wrong side of the law. This time it's over allegations he raped an underage girl.

According to the official AP story, Taylor was caught and charged with rape after the alleged victim texted a family member just after the incident occurred at a Holiday Inn. Taylor reportedly paid her $300 for the act.

The police report offers some conflicting details, including the alleged beating and abuse of the victim, but not by Taylor. Right now, Taylor is only being accused of raping an underage girl.

Other than protesting his innocence, Taylor hasn't said much of anything else to the press, directly or through his lawyer.

So the question to ask yourself right now isn't whether or not Taylor knew if the girl was underage, but why Taylor was in a position to have to defend himself over this allegation in the first place?

At this time, Taylor is saying he's innocent.

Great.

But for his name to even be brought up in connection to this means he had to be involved someway, somehow. This girl didn't just pull his name out of a hat.

I doubt most teenage girls even know who Lawrence Taylor is, so unless this all is an elablorate scheme to shakedown Taylor for money by a third party, Taylor is going to have to answer some tough questions in the coming weeks.

Taylor has been in and out of trouble his entire adult life, and coach Bill Parcells has been quoted as saying he was able to coach Taylor to be one of the greatest players on the field, but he could never help him be a better man.

Taylor battled drug abuse throughout his career, detailed in multiple books and media reports.

Taylor always seemed to be the guy who couldn't "turn off," the guy who needed to be on the field. While the kind of aggression and recklessness he demonstrated on the field served him well career-wise, it hasn't done him any favors off the field. 

He was arrested in South Carolina and Florida on drug charges in 1996 and 1997. He was convicted of possessing drug paraphernalia in New Jersey in 2001.

Taylor has been down this road before, he should be well aware of where it will end.

But instead, it appears he has given in to his inner demons for whatever reason.

The only surprising thing about this case so far is that it really is no surprise at all.