BADLANDS SEASON 6 | Episode #10 | 12.28.22
Lawrence Taylor: Broken Legs, Handshake Drugs, and Undercover Grandmas
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Lawrence Taylor, or “LT,” as he was known, was the most feared NFL linebacker in the 1980s. He once sacked a quarterback so hard that he snapped the guy’s leg in two–ending his career. His addiction to winning, to that victorious feeling on the field, was a euphoric high. But after a while, football didn’t get LT high enough. He partied just as hard as he played, a celeb rubbing elbows with megastars in NYC, the only city that could keep up with him. Pretty soon, he was spending $75,000 a month on his two off-field addictions: sex and cocaine. Nothing could stop him – not failed drug tests, not undercover grandmas busting his handshake drug deals. Until the day he had the barrel of a loaded gun pressed against his head…and everything changed.
Sources
LT: Over The Edge, by Lawrence Taylor with Steve Serby
Theismann Out for the Year, Redskins Win (Washington Post)
The Oral History of Joe Theismann's Broken Leg (Washingtonian)
Joe Theismann Career Ending Injury (YouTube)
Throwback Thursday: Ron Jaworski recalls being mentally broken by L.T. (USA Today)
Lawrence Taylor Doesn't Remember Getting Drafted Because He Drank Too Many Beers (Sportscasting)
SPORTS OF THE TIMES; L. T.'s Chilling Book (NY Times)
Taylor: A Troubled Giant (Washington Post)
LT: The Life & Times, dir. Peter Radovich
Taylor of Giants, in a New Book, Says He Used Cocaine Frequently (NY Times)
How Drugs and Alcohol Fueled the 1986 Mets to a Championship (Wall Street Journal)
Linebacker Lawrence Taylor of the Super Bowl (LA Times)
L.T. was reckless, magnificent (ESPN)
PRO FOOTBALL; Giants Win the Battle but Lose Their Warrior (NY Times)
L.T. Over The Edge (CBS News)
Taylor Failed Test First Time in '87 (NY Times)
New book reveals secrets of the hard-partying '86 Giants: sex, drugs and vacations with mobsters (NY Daily News)
Police Say Taylor Swallowed Fake Crack Before Arrest (AP News)
'My Whole World' Is a Mess (Orlando Sentinel)
Newspage Sports Football player Taylor arrested for crack (UPI Archives)
Sports of The Times; Lawrence Taylor Isn't L.T. Anymore (NY Times)
Lawrence Taylor: 6 Prostitutes a Day Admission on 60 Minutes, Said "That Party Never Ended" (CBS News)
Timeline: Lawrence Taylor's arrest record often overshadowed NFL records (NY Daily News)
Taylor is sentenced _ quietly (Tampa Bay Times)
Football great's arrest detailed (Tampa Bay Times)
PRO FOOTBALL; Ex-Giant Taylor Is Arrested On Drug Charges in Florida (NY Times)
Credits
Hosted by Jake Brennan.
Written by Ted Omo.
Copy edited by James Sullivan.
Scored and mixed by Colin Fleming.
Additional music and score elements by Ryan Spraker.
*illustrations by Avi Spivak @avispivak