'Likely has CTE': Internet trolls NFL icon Lawrence Taylor as he endorses Trump despite having 'always been a Democrat'

WILDWOOD, NEW JERSEY: What began as a routine campaign rally for former president Donald Trump along the Jersey Shore took an unexpected turn when NFL legend Lawrence Taylor made a shocking declaration.

The 65-year-old former New York Giants linebacker, who had been a lifelong Democrat, announced to the crowd that after meeting Trump, he would never again vote for a member of his former party, as reported by Daily Mail.

NFL legend Lawrence Taylor endorses Trump at New Jersey rally

"I just wanted to say I grew up a Democrat and I've always been a Democrat until I met this man right here. He will not have to worry nobody in my family ever voting for a Democrat again," Taylor told the sea of Trump supporters on Saturday, May 11.

Taylor, a cherished figure in New Jersey, notably contributed to the success of the East Rutherford-based Giants, securing two Super Bowl titles during his remarkable yet challenging career in the NFL.

The circumstances surrounding his initial encounter with Trump remained unclear. However, their paths may have crossed in the 1980s when Trump briefly owned a USFL team that trained in the same stadium as Taylor's Giants.

Joining Taylor on stage was his former Giants teammate, retired running back Otis Anderson, who echoed his friend's enthusiasm for the Republican candidate.

"Don't you just love that guy? Don't you just love that guy? I tell you it has been a very exciting day. You guys, not one person left here. You're still here yelling and screaming," Anderson asked the crowd rhetorically.

Lawrence Taylor's endorsement invites scrutiny given his troubled personal history

While Taylor's endorsement carried weight due to his legendary athletic career, it also invited scrutiny given his troubled personal history. The former pass-rushing player had battled numerous demons away from the football field, both during and after his playing days, which ended in 1993.

In 1995, just two years into retirement, Taylor made headlines for all the wrong reasons when he choked long-time Giants reporter Ernie Palladino following a verbal altercation. This incident was merely the tip of the iceberg for Taylor's legal troubles.

Over the years, he racked up numerous drug-related arrests, declared bankruptcy in 1998, and completed at least two stints in drug rehab facilities. Perhaps most disturbing was Taylor's 2010 arrest and subsequent guilty plea to misdemeanor charges of sexual misconduct and engaging in sexual acts with an underage prostitute.

Internet wastes no time in trolling Lawrence Taylor for endorsement of Trump

Online users wasted no time in lambasting Taylor for his endorsement of Trump. One X user remarked, "Lawrence Taylor has a sordid drug past. He fits right in with the MAGA low life and grifters." Another stated, "Yup losers and cons support a Con himself."

A third user commented, "He needed to get a Black man on stage with him and the only one he could get was a sex offender? Still, hiring only the best!" while a fourth wrote, "Puppy killers & registered sex offenders. Prime cult following candidates right there..."

Another user speculated, "They really gravitate towards each other don’t they? This is the kind of trash he’ll be inviting into our White House! Worse trash we can imagine!" A sixth user wrote, "Another in the long line of sex offenders, pedophiles, criminals for Trump."

Another remarked, "LT likely has CTE and doesn't know where he is." Lastly, one user commented, "Looking thru the history of LT, people can see why he would gravitate to someone like Trump."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.