Think Lawrence Taylor is going to violate his probation soon? Want to put some money on it?

If gambling wasn’t depressing enough an endeavor as is, now you can wager on the likelihood of someone violating their probation– and not just anyone, but former line-backing legend and current convicted sex offender Lawrence Taylor, to be exact. Anyone liking the odds at 3-1? You might even be able to get a nice parlay going with Mike Vick and Donte Stallworth and turn 2011 into a hefty little payday off the misfortune of others (a territory once reserved for defense lawyers and the trade partners of the Memphis Grizzlies). The humor here is that playing the odds is sort of what got LT in this mess to begin with.

I guess the maxim holds true that you can wager on anything, but it feels a little too personal and mean-spirited to actively root for someone to misstep on their road to recovery. Schadenfreude is all well and good when it comes to on-field performances (or lack thereof) or an embarrassing public gaffe or two, but America’s prison systems are entirely too overcrowded to wish anyone back there just to win a bet.

Here’s hoping LT puts his problems behind him, keeps his nose clean, and is nothing but a positive force in the community for the upcoming year…and not just because I put $50 bucks on him making it through, either. What kind of guy do you think I am?

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Odds courtesy of Bodog.com