Since we’ve talked about priests who have sexually abused minors here, I think it’s only fair to discuss this when it happens to a major sports celebrity as well.

ESPN has the story:

Hall of Fame linebacker Lawrence Taylor was arrested early Thursday after being accused of raping a 15-year-old girl at a Montebello, N.Y., hotel, police said.

Taylor, who has a history of drug abuse and runs-in with the law, is being charged with third-degree rape, which involves having intercourse with a minor, authorities said.

What a shame. I read LT’s autobiography that was published a few years ago and it looks as if he had turned a corner with his personal problems. He regretted messing up his marriage and it seemed to be a great story of redemption.

The truth of the case will come forth, but if LT had intercourse with a 15 year old then he deserves a LOT of jail time–just as priests who abuse children do as well. The right to consent will have him go to jail for a significant period of time if he is found guilty.

What is it that men in power (in particular) seem to gravitate towards when it comes to sexual domination? I don’t think that LT has the same issues that ephebophiliac priests have and have heard a number of men talk about the fantasy of having sex with a teen ager. It seems to elicit some kind of domination fantasy where they are in complete control over a submissive teen, who perhaps looks at them like a ‘real man’. Perhaps the same situation does exist in some of our priests who stalk women and love the attention it brings them?

Regardless, here’s what I can’t figure out and perhaps this is where an addictive element comes into play from the psychological perspective:

Why does a man like Lawrence Taylor NEED to have sex with a 15 year old girl? Let’s face facts Lawrence Taylor is a desirable man who could probably have sex with any number of attractive women. And yet, he picks a 15 year old girl? Why does Ben Rothlesburger have to hang out in a college bar and try to hook up with a college student?

It’s creepy to say the least and predatory to say the worst. The word domination keeps coming up and maybe that mentality in particular creeps into the psyche of an athlete who has to have that mentality on the field. You must dominate and overpower your opponent in almost every sport. Does that anger creep into sexual issues as well? Rape is always a crime of anger and not one of sexual attraction. When contrasted with the priesthood sexual abuse cases, it’s not all that far afield.

Priests dominated children in order to work out their anger over being abused themselves or to dominate their sublimated feelings with regard to their sexuality which was never integrated in a healthy way.

Maybe football players are not all that different? Because I know I have a hard time forgiving athletes for their stupid actions just as much as I have a hard time forgiving priests for their abuse of innocent children.

And yet, God calls us to do just that.

Today let us pray for children and for all those who have been abused sexually. And let us pray for tormented people who feel the need to have to dominate another sexually. We pray for their healing and that they may one day be able to make some kind of restitution–as difficult as that may be. Lastly, we pray for ourselves, that we might be able to reach out to the abused and to try to help heal their pain and that we also might find it in our hearts to be able to forgive.