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BY GERALD ESKENAZI
JAN. 10, 1984
Donald Trump, the owner of the Generals, will meet with a lawyer for Lawrence Taylor, the Giants’ star linebacker, tomorrow to try to work out a deal that could free Taylor of a personal services contract to Trump while extending Taylor’s playing career with the Giants.
If an arrangement is made between Trump and the lawyer, Mike Trope, Taylor would play with the Giants through 1989 and thus take advantage of a recent offer by the Giants to upgrade his salary immediately.
About two months ago, sources familiar with both parties said yesterday, Trump loaned Taylor almost a million dollars as part of a deal in which Taylor would begin playing with the Generals in 1988. His contract with the Giants expires after the 1987 season. It is not known what the ultimate fate of the loan will be.
Under the personal services deal Taylor made with Trump, he was to be available immediately for promotional duties by the Trump Organization, the huge real estate and building operation also headed by Trump.
Taylor signed with the Giants in 1981, with Trope, of Los Angeles, as his agent, and he quickly earned respect as perhaps the top linebacker in football.
However, Taylor has been unhappy with his Giants salary, although he did receive a signing bonus of about $500,000. When he made the recent deal with Trump, he did not use Trope as a representative.
The Giants discovered Taylor’s deal with the Generals last month after they had made an offer to renegotiate Taylor’s contract.
The Giants offered to upgrade Taylor’s salary immediately if he remains a Giant beyond 1987. But they would not upgrade his salary if they knew he would be leaving after the 1987 season.
Trump would not concede that he had signed Taylor. But he said yesterday, ”I don’t want to do anything to hurt the New York Giants or Lawrence Taylor.”
According to one source, in addition to the loan, Taylor was to receive $5,000 a year from the Trump organization while playing for the Giants. Then, according to the Trump contract, he would join the Generals as a player in 1988 for five years, with a salary starting at $600,000 and escalating in $50,000-a-year increments.
Under his present Giant contract, he would receive $175,000 for the 1984 season. But the Giants offered him a $1 million bonus if he signs with them beyond 1987, and also offered to upgrade his salary to about $800,000 this year, and upgrade him each year throughout the current contract.
A source familiar with both deals pointed out that if Taylor could not get free of his Generals’ deal, he would lose more than $2 million in potential salary and bonuses.
Generals Sign Three
The Generals signed three more former N.F.L. players – Don Calhoun, a running back; Greg Roberts, a guard, and Bob Horn, a linebacker.
