Donald Trump has a knack for choosing the most controversial people for positions that especially demand someone with experience and accountability. This time, tennis legend Martina Navratilova has taken aim at President Trump for his lack of effort while making such a choice.
Navratilova was talking about Trump’s controversial choice of NFL Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor for the Presidential Fitness Test council.
Trump signed an executive order last Thursday to revive the long-dormant fitness program for American schools. This program includes sit-ups, one-mile runs, and flexibility tests. To sign and announce this policy in action, Trump assembled a star-studded advisory board. Among these are WWE’s Paul “Triple H” Levesque and other high-profile athletes, including Taylor.
His addition to the team has drawn fierce criticism. Taylor was convicted of misdemeanor sexual misconduct and has the status of a registered s-x offender.
Taylor, 63, had pleaded guilty to charges of patronizing a pr-stitute and sexual misconduct. Upon conviction, he received six years of probation and mandatory s-x-offender registration.
Lawrence Taylor, a former NFL player, has a known legal history, including a 2011 guilty plea to sexual misconduct and patronizing a minor for prostitution, which led to his registration as a sex offender. pic.twitter.com/b6mZ2Q6zkX
— 𝕄𝕒𝕣𝕘𝕒𝕣𝕖𝕥🌴Siegien 🐦📷 (@margaretsiegien) August 2, 2025
Even though Taylor had a decorated career in the NFL with the New York Giants, where he was named AP defensive player of the year twice, it was his criminal record that made him a questionable choice for advising on school-age fitness.
Navratilova has been a four-time Wimbledon champion and she has always been an outspoken critic of Trump’s policies. She did not hold back on her criticism of Trump and his choice of panel on social media.
There have been several posts on X.com mocking the administration for appointing a “registered child s-x offender” to guide children’s health. Responding to one such post, she wrote, “Nothing like hiring a s-x offender and a former dr-g abuser for this particular job….”
Her remark has since been shared widely and has reignited debate over the intersection of sports, politics, and personal conduct.
This isn’t the first time Navratilova has publicly shamed Trump. Every time Trump comes up with a bizarre idea, she has chided him for his gross incompetence. When Trump suggested that escaping prisoners on Alcatraz Island could be stopped by releasing sharks and alligators, she called him a “psychopath by proxy”.
Been calling him a psychopath by proxy for years. And I was right. https://t.co/XSYcP4f6cv
— Martina Navratilova (@Martina) July 1, 2025
This came when Trump explained the plan that “Snakes are fast but alligators… we’re going to teach them how to run away from an alligator”, Navratilova tweeted, “Been calling him a psychopath by proxy for years. And I was right.”
The consistent criticism of Trump shows what the sporting community exactly thinks of President Trump and his bizarre and ‘out of the box’ ideas. This is also a preview of how the general public views Trump’s blending of entertainment, politics, and governance.
Users online and critics offline have all been against the idea of convicted felons being in a special position in the Trump administration. They have argued that such appointments send a dangerous message and drastically fail to earn the public trust. This also sends a dangerously muddled message to impressionable young athletes.
Lawrence Taylor was arrested 2010 for raping a 16 year old, and is a registered sex offender.
He used cocaine by his 2nd year in the NFL, & was suspended for 30 days in 1988 for failing drug tests. After his retirement he was jailed three times for attempted drug possession.
— Dave Ryder 🌊💙🌎❄🏳️🌈 (@daveryder) August 3, 2025
“This isn’t just a misstep,” says Dr. Helen Murphy. She is a sports ethics professor at NYU. “It undermines the very credibility of a program meant to instill discipline and healthy habits in children.”
However, as always, Trump has found some supporters. They argue that Taylor’s journey could serve as a cautionary tale and showcase resilience and redemption.
“Lawrence overcame massive obstacles,” says former teammate Michael Strahan. “He can speak to discipline, training, and the risks of poor choices.”
Tennis icon Martina Navratilova has once again come for Donald Trump after he appointed controversial NFL star Lawrence Taylor to his Presidential Fitness Test council. https://t.co/2Ppimn0nqT pic.twitter.com/EobZVS3QVK
— Irish Star US (@IrishStarUS) August 3, 2025
However, such redemption arcs do not belong anywhere near children and young adults; they may be in memoirs.
Yet many observers feel that redemption arcs belong in memoirs, not in roles of mentoring children. This is rather a reminder that character matters as much as cardio.
