WINTER HAVEN, Florida — Former NFL linebacker Adarius Taylor, who played one season with the Cleveland Browns, has been arrested in Florida as part of an undercover human trafficking operation, reports say.
Taylor, 34, was one of more than 250 people who were arrested last week as part of the sting operation, the Orlando Sentinel reports. A news release from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office says the suspects were "involved in illegal acts related to soliciting prostitutes, offering to commit prostitution, or aiding/abetting or transporting prostitutes."
The Sentinel reports Sheriff Grady Judd said during a news conference that Taylor’s 6-year-old child was with him when he was arrested. Taylor had left the child inside a vehicle when he went inside the spot where the sting operation was being held, the Sentinel reports. The child was “immediately recovered by the Florida Department of Children and Families.”
Taylor is charged with solicitation of prostitution, a misdemeanor, NBC Sports reports. He also was charged with felony negligent child abuse without bodily harm, People reports.
Taylor played seven seasons in the NFL, four with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He played two seasons for the Carolina Panthers.
The Browns signed Taylor as a free agent in March 2019. Taylor was released by the Browns in February 2020. Taylor appeared in 15 games, mainly as a special teams player, and had nine tackles.
He last played in the NFL in 2020 while with the Panthers.