Giants great Lawrence Taylor brings free football camp to HackensackMonday, July 16, 2012
BY KEITH IDEC
STAFF WRITER
The Record
Lawrence Taylor last played in the NFL before any of the 140 kids who attended his free football camp Friday at Hackensack High School were born.
PHOTOS SPECIAL TO THE RECORD
Lawrence Taylor, top, running his free football camp at Hackensack High School on Friday as some of the 140 kids who attended, below, run drills or wait in line for their turns. They still greatly appreciated that one of the greatest players in football history spent an entire day with them.
"It's not every day that you meet a legend like that, where he comes to your school and does an all-day camp for everyone," said Brandon Davis, who'll be a senior wide receiver/defensive back for Hackensack next season. "It was a good time, a very fun experience."
Former Giants teammates Stephen Baker, Beasley Reese and Odessa Turner joined Taylor in coaching and counseling campers, as did fellow ex-Giant Tiki Barber.
The often-embattled Taylor taught and motivated kids Friday, but the Hall-of-Fame linebacker also encouraged them to make smart decisions. He wants them to avoid the types of damaging mistakes he has made off the field both during and after his celebrated career, most of which were the consequence of abusing alcohol and drugs.
"I was beyond pleased," said new Hackensack coach Benjie Wimberly, also a state assemblyman (D-Paterson). "I was really impressed with how LT dealt with the kids and the fans.
"He was really pleasant and the atmosphere was just really, really positive. Not to be cliché, but this was just a great teaching moment, to have him talk to kids about what he has been through, persevering and staying together with his family."
The camp, which was organized in conjunction with Boys & Girls Clubs of America, was the idea of two of Taylor's daughters, Paula and Tanisha. They contacted Wimberly in the spring through a mutual friend just after the former Paterson Catholic coach took over at Hackensack and were instrumental in running the camp.
"His daughters and son [T.J.] were unbelievable," said Wimberly, who didn't hesitate to work with the polarizing Taylor because he felt the camp could help so many kids. "They did it for their dad, not for notoriety or anything like that, but because he needs to get out and do these types of things. As good as it is for the kids to be around him, I think it was somewhat therapeutic for him, also."
Taylor, 53, has remained mostly out of the spotlight since he pled guilty in March 2011 to sexual misconduct and patronizing a prostitute misdemeanors after allegedly paying an underage girl $300 to have sex with him two years ago in a Suffern, N.Y., hotel room. He received six years probation as part of his plea agreement.
"Slowly but surely, he is getting his life back," said Wayne's Mark Lepselter, Taylor's agent. "His life is going forward. He's had his ups and downs — there's no doubt about that. But he has regained a lot of stability, the family has held together and his kids are very much a part of his life, thank God."
Taylor, a Miami resident, was the guest of honor at the Hackensack Football Pasta Dinner on Thursday night in Little Ferry. He told stories at the fundraiser and at the camp about all of his fond memories of Hackensack.
He often trained at Hackensack's field while he played for the Giants and lived in Upper Saddle River. Little Richard's Restaurant, on nearby First Street, was one of his favorite eateries.
"It actually brought back so many memories for me because I worked out on that field back in the day," said Taylor, who wants to conduct the camp again next year. "My daughters suggested we should do this, and I have to give them major applause for making it all come together.
"The coaches from Hackensack High and really everyone who pitched in, I was extremely appreciative."
The feeling was mutual, especially among the Hackensack players who are eager to begin the Comets' first season with Wimberly running the program.
"It definitely motivated us to work harder," said Jordan Coleman, who'll be a senior running back/linebacker next season. "We want to not just make [Taylor] proud, but make the rest of the city proud."
