Can the Hall of Fame Kick LT Out?

Hardly. Bad behavior doesn't even bar players from getting in
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 26, 2010 4:56 AM CDT
Can the Hall of Fame Kick LT Out?
This May 6, 2010, file photo shows Pro Football Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor leaving the Ramapo Police Department in Suffern, N.Y.   (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)

Lawrence Taylor was indicted on a slew of charges (rape, endangering the welfare of a child, patronizing a prostitute) on Wednesday. Should the former New York Giants linebacker be worried about losing his spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, too? Breathe a sigh of relief, LT: You're in there for good. Christopher Beam explains that none of the major sports halls have policies about expelling members. In fact, with the exception of baseball, being an upstanding citizen isn't even a requirement for getting in.

Only two things matter when it comes to football: the nominee's "achievements and contributions" to the sport, and the fact that he's been retired for at least 5 years. As you can imagine, that's allowed "more than a few unsavory characters" to make their way in...even to baseball's Hall of Fame, writes Beam for Slate: coke-dealing Dallas Cowboy Bob Hayes, the racist Ty Cobb, and the currently jailed OJ Simpson, for instance. In fact, LT tested positive for cocaine twice in the late '80s...and was inducted in 1999. (More Lawrence Taylor stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X