Remember When Lawrence Taylor Had A Secret Million Dollar Deal With Donald Trump To Join The New Jersey Generals In 1983?
By Neal Lynch
In a Daily Beast article that reported Donald Trump said he made zero income on his tax returns in 1984, it was also revealed Trump had a little-known agreement with New York Giants great Lawrence Taylor.
L.T.’s been in the news a lot lately. At a recent charity event, he said that he did Joe Theismann a favor by breaking his leg and ending his career on Monday Night Football at RFK Stadium in November 1985. His wife was charged with domestic violence and resisting arrest after throwing an unknown object at his head. Numerous writers have been comparing current sack-masters Houston Texans defensive lineman J.J. Watt and Oakland Raiders linebacker / defensive end Khalil Mack to Taylor, plus New York Jets draft pick Darron Lee grew up idolizing L.T. Now, we’ve got this hush-hush transaction with then owner of the New Jersey Generals and current Republican nominee for President.
"“The linebacker had struck a secret deal with Trump, banking a million-dollar interest-free loan in exchange for agreeing to join the Generals when his contract with the Giants expired. But after the Giants extended and upgraded Taylor’s deal, he had to repay the million, the interest he’d collected on it and $750,000 more on top to the mogul to get Trump to agree to return Taylor’s option to the Giants”"
As a quick refresher, Donald Trump has been blamed for the downfall of the United States Football League (USFL) for convincing the other owners to move the schedule from the spring to the fall in 1986, so it would directly compete with the NFL and it backfired big time.
However, in 1983, the Generals went 6-12 and the Giants were 3-12-1. Generals running back Herschel Walker ran for more than 1,800 yards and 17 touchdowns but NJ’s defense gave up the third most points in the league, which prompted Trump to go after Taylor, especially after L.T. became frustrated with the Giants’ losing ways.
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Trump gave Taylor a $1 million interest-free, 25-year loan on December 14, 1983, with the stipulation that L.T. start playing for the Generals in 1988. Less than a month later, Taylor attempted to renege, so his agent, Mike Trope, negotiated an agreement between Trump, Taylor, and the Giants that resulted in:
- Taylor returning the $1 million to Trump
- The Giants paying Trump $750,000 over the next five seasons
- The Giants giving Taylor a new six-year, $6.2-million-dollar contract
In 1984, the Generals would have two 1,000 yard rushers in eventual Giants Herschel Walker and Maurice Carthon. NJ would finish second in their division and make the playoffs with a 14-4 record, before losing to the Philadelphia Stars who had future Giants Bart Oates and Sean Landeta.
The Giants wound up going 9-7 in 1984, tying for second in the NFC East and making the playoffs. Big Blue would beat the L.A. Rams in the Wild Card round, but lose to the eventual Super Bowl Champion San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional round.
Next: Top 10 Giants Defenses Since 1986
The initial deal between Trump and Taylor is a testament to Trump’s salesmanship and to Taylor’s emotional sensibilities. While Taylor’s still held up as the pinnacle of defensive play even to this day, Trump’s on the precipice of possibly reaching his peak: The White House. If Trump’s elected, maybe he could convince L.T. to be the Secretary of Defense.
Via The Daily Beast