Lawrence Taylor, regarded as one of the greatest defensive players in NFL history, nearly walked away from football during his high school years. However, his father intervened and encouraged him to continue. Now 66, Taylor shared his experience of almost quitting the sport during an appearance on OutKick’s “Maintaining with Tyrus.”
“I thought it was too much. When I joined the football team in my junior year, I wanted to quit. My dad looked at me and said, ‘You’re not going to quit,’” Taylor recounted. “Once I started to understand the game better, he told me, ‘You have to be better than the next man just to be equal.’ So, I focused on whoever was in front of me.”
Throughout his impressive 13-year career, Taylor excelled at facing his opponents head-on. He spent his entire tenure with the New York Giants, where he celebrated two Super Bowl victories. In 1986, he achieved the remarkable feat of winning the NFL MVP award, making him one of only two defensive players in league history to earn this honor.
During that standout season, Taylor recorded an impressive 20½ sacks. His approach to the game was straightforward: pursue the football. “Many coaches, including mine, allowed me to play the game as I saw fit. People often say you have to go here or there, but I believed in going where I needed to be to reach the football,” Taylor explained.
Over his career, the ten-time Pro Bowler amassed a total of 142 sacks in 184 games. Taylor’s full interview on OutKick is set to air at 9 a.m. ET on Sunday.
