As he walked down the red carpet at the N.J. Hall of Fame — a surprise appearance for many of us behind the media ropes — Lawrence Taylor had a smile and a story for everyone.
And everyone was eager to listen.
Taylor is arguably the greatest defensive player in NFL history — and surely the most sought-after ex-Giant in the state. One who says there’s only one place where he can walk more than a few feet and not be noticed.
“In my house,” he said with a laugh.
Taylor said he didn’t mind the rush of attention Thursday night at American Dream, when he was among the 2026 inductees that included business leaders Chris Paladino of DEVCO, Bob Garrett of Hackensack Meridian Health and former Gov. Christine Todd Whitman.
Taylor also said he wasn’t looking for it.
“It is what it is,” he said. “I don’t ask for a lot of attention. Don’t need a lot of attention.”
Taylor did have a few Giants stories to tell.
Like when he was drafted: “When I was in college, I wasn’t a big football buff. I didn’t even know who the Giants were when I got drafted.”
Or about the support he received: “The fans are always good. They were on a losing streak for years and years and years and years and they still were cheering.”
Or how he learned to embrace the state: “I didn’t really like it when I first got here, but I loved it once me and Bill Parcells got together and I got him straight.”
His best line came when asked about being inducted into the N.J. Hall.
“I thought I was already in there,” he said. “I’m serious.”
The event was a highlight in careers full of the other inductees, including Garrett and Paladino.
For Garrett, it capped a remarkable run. First came a record-breaking $125M gift to Jersey Shore University Medical Center. Then his retirement announcement. Then the Hall.
“It’s been just kind of a whirlwind,” he said.
Garrett called the Hall “kind of like a capstone to anybody’s career.”
“You got to pinch me, because, like, I’m here,” he said. “I’m being inducted into the Hall of Fame with incredibly famous people.”
Garrett said he doesn’t want to go from 100 miles an hour to zero.
“Something in between probably works, like 50,” he said.
And what he’s proudest of: “We were able to really enhance the quality of care across our state, and that means lives saved,” he said. “That means complications avoided. It means healthier communities.”
Paladino, who frequently is honored, said this one felt different.
“It’s not the usual real estate business type of thing,” he said. “Being on the same night as Lawrence Taylor and Christine Whitman and the Rascals, that’s not like the ULI awards.”
Paladino said it was especially meaningful because it was an honor he could share — with the “great team that we have at DEVCO.”
Whitman called it a celebration of the state — one she said it was an honor to serve. Most of the time.
“It wasn’t always a pleasure,” she said with a laugh. “There are definitely moments when I want to say, ‘OK, this isn’t what I was hoping for.’ But … overall, it was just a great experience.”
As was the night for all of the honorees.
Especially if it meant they got to see some of their own heroes.
Garrett, a diehard Giants fan, said the first photo he took was with LT.
“As a Giants fan, it was unbelievable,” he said.
