Brien Taylor Sentenced To 38 Months In Prison

Brien Taylor, a former pitching prospect for the New York Yankees, has been sentenced to 38 months in prison for distributing crack cocaine.

The Associated Press reports that Taylor plead guilty in August. He was sentenced today by US District Court Judge Louise W. Flanagan.

Brien, who has five daughters, told the judge during his sentencing that he had “made poor decisions.”

Flanagan did not order Brien to pay a fine since he has “children to support.”

Taylor was the number 1 draft pick in 1991 and signed a record $1.55 million deal. Taylor excelled in the Double-A league but after a fight in 1993 he injured his pitching shoulder. Taylor never threw a pitch in the major leagues.

Thomas Walker, US Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, told ESPN:

“This is a tragic story — all too often our professional athletes spiral into criminal activity after an athletic disappointment or injury. I think all of us hope that Mr. Taylor, like many others who have gone down this road, will put their activity behind them and move to a better place in their life.”

Taylor was arrested in March for selling crack cocaine to an undercover agent. The US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina said that Taylor distributed more than 200 grams of crack cocaine and 100 grams of powder cocaine to the officer over the course of several months.

Taylor will face three years of supervised release after his prison term is up.