NEW CITY, N.Y. (AP) — An underage girl whose encounter with former football star Lawrence Taylor led to his conviction for sex crimes says he should have been sent to jail.

The girl, now 17, spoke to the media after Taylor was sentenced Tuesday to six years on probation for sexual misconduct and patronizing an underage prostitute.

The girl has been identified in court and by her attorney, Gloria Allred, only by her initials, C.F.

She denied she is a prostitute and said another man forced her to go to Taylor’s hotel room in May 2010. She believes Taylor could tell she had been beaten and that she was underage. She said Taylor took “something precious” from her and should be behind bars.

Allred would not say whether the girl plans a lawsuit against Taylor.

Governments that subsidized $7 billion of National Football League stadium construction will be the biggest losers if the New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys and other teams lock out players March 4.

Mayors and city officials of Houston, Miami, Minneapolis, San Diego and Kansas City, Missouri, have written the NFL asking that it avoid a work stoppage that could cost the entire season and millions in revenue and wages for workers at stadiums, hotels, restaurants and other businesses that depend on games.

Governments that financed 65 percent of new stadiums in the past 20 years would receive an unexpected blow at a time when tight budgets are forcing them to dismiss teachers and firefighters and cut back other government services.

“We don’t want to lose a dime,” said Tony Young, San Diego City Council president, who said by telephone that the NFL’s Chargers generate at least $100 million of local spending. “We’re talking about janitors, parking-lot attendants and catering crews, people who are already struggling.”

The 2011 regular season could be in jeopardy if “serious negotiations” don’t begin soon, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a commentary posted on the NFLlabor.com website last week. The league may lose $1 billion in ticket sales if it takes until September to reach an agreement, according to Eric Grubman, executive vice president for business operations. Each week of lost games would cost the league about $400 million.

Opting Out

Owners in the U.S.’s most-watched television sport voted in 2008 to opt out of the labor deal with players as of next week, saying it didn’t account for costs such as those for building stadiums. Talks have ranged from dividing revenue and expanding the season to 18 games from 16, to a rookie salary cap and health-care benefits. Both sides agreed Feb. 17 to negotiations run by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.

Bondholders of both corporate and municipal debt tied to stadiums and other infrastructure would be protected by reserves of as much as 18 months of revenue or the proceeds of hotel and motel taxes pledged to repay bonds sold by municipalities. The rating company Standard & Poor’s said in 2008 that it didn’t expect the NFL owners’ rejection of the current contract to hurt repayment of seven stadium-related debt issues.

“If NFL games were not played, the stadium projects should have sufficient liquidity to withstand a prolonged labor action,” S&P’s Jodi E. Hecht and Craig Parmelee, both New York- based analysts, said in a bulletin.

Cowboy Stadium Bonds

As the deadline for an agreement has approached, prices of bonds that the city of Arlington, Texas, issued to help build a new stadium for the Dallas Cowboys have risen, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. On Feb. 23 the bonds traded at an average of 98.4 cents on the dollar, up from 93.8 cents on Jan. 19, driving the yield down to 5.14 percent from 5.55 percent.

Sal Galatioto, who has helped structure bond deals for teams including the New York Giants, said he doesn’t expect stadium bondholders to be hurt because of reserves and the fact that the national TV contract would keep paying the NFL during a work stoppage.

“You’re making plenty of money because you have no expenses,” said Galatioto, the president of Galatioto Sports Partners LLC in New York. “The bondholders would be fine.”

For NFL cities, the teams add value to the property-tax base and labor pool, said N. Edward Coulson, an economist with Pennsylvania State University in University Park, who has studied the value of sports franchises.

“People are willing to pay more to live in a town with an NFL team,” Coulson said.

Sought-After Franchises

The value leads government officials to offer subsidies as incentives to help owners finance stadiums. In Houston, bonds for the Houston Texans’ Reliant Stadium are backed in part by taxes on hotel and car rentals. Alcohol and tobacco taxes helped fund the Cleveland Browns’ stadium.

Subsidies in the Ohio city, which dismissed firefighters, and in New Orleans, which has struggled to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, would continue to be paid even if localities are cut off from the economic benefits expected from games, according to official documents and reports. Yet the cities would lose the economic benefits generated by the events.

In Minneapolis, the Minnesota Vikings’ regular-season games generate $6 million of spending that “support a wide variety of good jobs for workers in the hospitality, hotel and service industries,” wrote Mayor R.T. Rybak in a Feb. 3 letter to Goodell. Playoff games generate $9 million, the letter said.

Metrodome Situation

The city has no guarantee the Vikings will play in the Metrodome after the roof collapsed in December, leaving the team to host games at the University of Minnesota’s TCF Bank stadium.

Houston Mayor Annise Parker said in her Feb. 8 letter to Goodell that the Houston Texans’ games in Reliant Stadium generate $250 million of economic activity in restaurants and other entertainment outlets.

“Any decline in these revenues would hurt working families and the city as a whole, further compounding the difficulties we are facing due to the ongoing economic downturn,” Parker wrote.

As businesses and governments that depend directly on games lose income, the impact on the economy in most NFL cities will be minimal as fans spend on other activities, said Andrew Zimbalist, who teaches sports economics at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts.

“It may be devastating to the psyche of a community, but not the economy,” Zimbalist said. “Instead of spending money at the stadium, fans will go bowling or do something else.”

To contact the reporters on this story: Darrell Preston in Dallas at dpreston@bloomberg.net; Aaron Kuriloff in New York at akuriloff@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Mark Tannenbaum at mtannen@bloomberg.net; To contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Sillup at msillup@bloomberg.net.

NEW YORK — It’s not easy being a long-distance fan, but it got a little easier on Saturday for hundreds of East Coast Giants fans who got the chance to see the Commissioner’s Trophy the World Series champions won and to celebrate with their team in New York.

Saturday morning’s trophy visit at the New York Hilton was just part of a weekend of festivities celebrating the Giants’ return to their roots with a World Series title in tow. Later Saturday, the trophy was also scheduled to make a stop at Finnerty’s, a known San Francisco sports bar in the city.

The 2010 title was the first for the Giants since the 1954 season, and their first in San Francisco after heading west in ’57. Before the move, though, the New York Giants were a part of some of baseball’s most iconic moments, with Willie Mays’ “The Catch” and Bobby Thomson’s “Shot Heard Round the World.”

Those moments are so intrinsic to the Giants’ identity general manager Brian Sabean felt it only right to share it with fans in New York.

“We know our history,” Sabean said. “Fortunately, our ownership has done a great job with our connection back to New York. … What’s interesting is to see how generational it is. A lot of the older folks have vivid memories, and because of those memories and the great teams they watched — including the 1954 team — they’ve gotten their families involved.”

That was the case for Charles Bartlett, who inherited his Giants fandom from his father and has passed it on to his daughter, Emily. The father-daughter pair came into the city from their home in Massapequa Park, N.Y., just to see the trophy.

In addition to taking photos with the trophy, several fans also got the chance to meet Sabean and other members of the Giants’ brass. President Larry Baer and managing partner Bill Neukom were also in attendance, shaking hands with fans who expressed their gratitude for a great season.

The Giants also met with a special group of fans earlier on Saturday morning — the New York Baseball Giants Nostalgia Society. Founded by Bill Kent, a 65-year fan of the team, the organization was treated to a visit by the Hall of Famer Mays and National League Rookie of the Year Buster Posey.

Kent, a native of the Bronx, founded the group to reminisce about Mays, Thomson and the rest of the Giants who filled the Polo Grounds with memories.

“Most of us go back to the [19]40s and ’50s, and when we meet, it’s like we’re back in the ’40s and ’50s,” Kent said. “That’s why we have the club.”

While there was a strong contingent of fans representing the old New York Giants, the crowd spanned several generations, down to the youngest fans in strollers.

To Tiffany Olsen of Englewood, N.J., a 14-year fan and East Coast convert, there wasn’t any way she’d miss seeing the trophy.

“It is amazing,” Olsen said. “I love the fact that they gave Giants fans like me, who have moved away, and Giants fans who have lived here for generations, the chance to see the trophy. As a fan, it shows they really care.”

For others, such as Lewis Xisarax of Astoria, Queens, the visit was not only about seeing the trophy, but also having the chance to show gratitude to the Giants.

“I wanted to thank the Giants organization for a great job this season,” Xisarax said. “I’ve been a loyal fan for 25 years, going through all the ups and downs and going to a game every year at Shea Stadium. And now seeing the trophy, it was just a fantastic experience.”

The snaking line to see the trophy, which at one point represented a wait time of nearly an hour, created a sea of happy fans in orange and black. One particular fan, donning a Brian Wilson-inspired fake beard he got at Game 2 of the World Series, kept the crowd around him entertained while they waited.

After a photographer snapped their picture with the trophy, several excited fans walked out remarking that hopefully they’d be right back here again next year.

Even though the event celebrated the Giants’ accomplishments last season, Saturday’s event got fans thinking about the return of the boys of summer.

“On a cold winter day like today, baseball always fills the area with sunshine,” Queens native Hector Algarroba said. “It’ll be here soon.”

NEW YORK — As the New York Jets head for Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers in the AFC championship game, New York City has caught football fever.

Given that the Big Apple is known primarily as a baseball town, and given that the New York Giants are generally acknowledged as the number one football team in town, the Jets have always been a bit of a scrappy underdog when it comes to capturing the heart of the city.

At least for now, though, the heart of the city is Jet green.

Led by swashbuckling head coach Rex Ryan, and second year quarterback Mark Sanchez, the Jets went 11 and 5 during the regular season before beating both the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots, both on the road, to advance to the AFC Championship Game for the second year in a row.

As the biggest and most diverse city in the country, it takes a lot to unite New York. And given that it is a two team town, it would be a stretch to say that the entire city is pulling hard for the Jets. And yet, even Giants fans are to some degree wishing their Jets fans brethren well this week.

If you live in or are visiting New York this week, signs of Jets fever are all around. After the Jets beat the Patriots on Sunday night, the Empire State Building in midtown was lit up in the Jets’ colors of green and white.

In fact, as the Jets’ charter flight made the short trip down from the Boston area, the pilot of the plane contacted Newark airport and asked for permission to fly an alternate route, closer to the building so that the players could get what must have felt like a close up look at their colors. Newark Airport controllers called LaGuardia Airport, which actually is responsible for the space around the area, and the players got a thrilling view. Ryan told the pilot to tell the air traffic controllers that they were ‘awesome’.

The Empire State Building will be decked out in green and white all weekend long leading up to, and during, the game on Sunday night.

All over town, Jets banners are decorating storefronts, bars and restaurants. The impact on their business is undeniable. New York City’s sports bars are seeing a huge uptick during the playoffs as they are full for the games during times in which they would otherwise be nearly empty.

Finally, a huge pep rally, attended by hundreds of fans was held in Times Square on Thursday night…both Senator Chuck Schumer and Mayor Michael Bloomberg spoke.

The Jets are slight underdogs to the Steelers, but most agree they have an excellent chance to beat the Steelers; a team they beat during the regular season.

Of course, as excited as New York City is now, if the Jets beat the Steelers on Sunday and advance to the franchise’s first Super Bowl since 1969, it truly will be the town that doesn’t sleep…at least for a couple of weeks.

Ron Hart is a New York City resident and long suffering Jets fan.

NEW CITY, N.Y. — Former NFL star Lawrence Taylor pleaded guilty Thursday to sexual misconduct and patronizing a prostitute, misdemeanor charges that carry no jail time but require him to register as a sex offender.

The 51-year-old ex-linebacker, who led the New York Giants to Super Bowl titles in 1987 and 1991, will serve six years’ probation.

“She told me she was 19,” Taylor, standing with his hands clasped behind him, said in court as he admitted having sex with a prostitute who turned out to be a 16-year-old Bronx runaway. Taylor said he now knows the girl was legally incapable of consent.

Harry Carson, his former teammate and fellow Hall of Famer, was in the courtroom and gave Taylor a supportive handshake when he arrived.

Prosecutor Patricia Gunning said the plea deal was acceptable in part because Taylor had assisted in investigations into human trafficking since he was charged. Another prosecutor, Arthur Ferraro, said outside court that Taylor “was of assistance in the field of human trafficking in several jurisdictions and with federal authorities.”

Taylor decided pleading was in everyone’s best interest, said his attorney, Arthur Aidala.

“He could have taken a much more aggressive road but he decided it was in the best interest of he and his family and the young woman to put this behind him,” Aidala said, adding that he was “cautiously optimistic” that he would have won the case had it gone to trial.

Taylor was arrested in May at a suburban hotel.

He previously had pleaded not guilty to third-degree rape, patronizing a prostitute, sexual abuse and endangering a child. He had been resisting a plea deal for months.

Prosecutors said in December he had been offered a six-month jail term and 10 years’ probation in exchange for pleading guilty to a felony. Taylor would have had to register as a sex offender. Aidala had called that offer unacceptable but said he would listen to any other offers.

Two other members of the Giants’ 1991 Super Bowl team are behind bars. Mark Ingram Sr., a star receiver, is spending nearly 10 years in federal prison for money laundering, bank fraud and bail jumping. And the electrifying kick returner Dave Meggett was sentenced last year to 30 years for criminal sexual conduct and burglary.

Taylor’s trial would likely have started within a few weeks.

He was arrested May 6 after the underage girl’s uncle contacted New York City police. Officers from Ramapo woke him at a Holiday Inn in Montebello.

Police said he was cooperative and no drugs were found in the room, although a bottle of alcohol was. Taylor has a history of drug offenses but has been to rehab and his lawyer says he has been sober for years.

“The whole L.T. persona, to me that’s an act,” Carson said before court. “I’m here for Lawrence Taylor. I’m not here for L.T. … Once he went through some of the stuff he went through, he realized that was a hindrance to himself and his family.”

In court, Carson, sitting in the front row of the gallery, reached over a low wall into the defendant’s area and straightened Taylor’s overcoat collar.

In a related case, federal prosecutors in Manhattan filed a complaint last year against a man who is accused of acting as the girl’s pimp. Court papers in that case say Taylor admitted to sex acts with the girl but said he was told the girl was 19.

Ramapo police Chief Peter Brower said after Taylor’s arrest that ignorance of a minor’s age is not a defense to third-degree rape.

Aidala had claimed that Taylor’s arrest was illegal because police did not have a warrant when they burst into his suburban hotel room in May. Prosecutors said no warrant was required and state Supreme Court Justice William Kelly rejected the claim. But he granted a pretrial hearing on whether statements Taylor made upon his arrest were admissible. Aidala said in December he was relishing the chance to cross-examine the arresting police officers.

Taylor was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1999. A fierce, athletic linebacker, he redefined his position and was selected to the NFL’s 75th Anniversary All-Time Team.

In 2009, he competed in ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars.” He had also been a spokesman for the NutriSystem weight-loss company, but he was dropped after his arrest.

Sentencing is March 22. That same day, state Supreme Court Justice William Kelly will determine what level of sex offender status Taylor will have.

His lawyer said he would seek to have Taylor’s probation transferred to Florida, where the former player now lives.

At some point, dogs won’t be the first thing that headline writers think about when titling an article about Michael Vick(notes). Thankfully, that day has yet to come.

This is the front page from Monday’s edition of The New York Post:

The cover, like Mary Poppins, is practically perfect in every way. The headline “Giants Dog It” is an excellent dig at both Vick and the Giants, even though a tad predictable. The way Vick is positioned directly under the word “dog,” as if it’s a coincidence is a nifty and subtle trick is also good. And then, of course, the Photoshopped dog heads on the Giants players pursuing the dangerous quarterback take the cover to another level.

Take some time to appreciate the craftsmanship that went into Photoshopping those heads on and, while you’re at it, savor the many levels with which the sight gag works.

If the cover wasn’t bitter enough, also notice how there’s no credit given to the Eagles for the comeback victory. Reading the Post’s cover, you’d think it was a complete meltdown by the Giants and had nothing to do with Vick and DeSean Jackson’s(notes) heroics. It’s a perfect blend of snark, defiance and delusion. (The back page was a bit more tame.)

But don’t complain, Philadelphians. Your city’s newspapers have been even worse with the dog-related puns about Vick. 

Related: DeSean Jackson, Michael Vick, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles