Former NFL Lineman admits abusing adopted daughter

Former NFL Lineman admits abusing adopted daughter

Posted by Josh Alper on May 23, 2008, 2:37 p.m. EDT

Rich Tylski, a guard with the Jaguars, Steelers and Panthers, was placed in a pretrial intervention program after admitting in court that he abused his adopted daughter.

Tylski copped to spanking the girl with a belt beyond the scope of proper discipline and his wife admitted to striking her and bending her fingers back. According to the Florida Times-Union, both will have to attend anger management and parenting classes and will be required to pay $12,500 into an education savings account for the girl. She no longer lives with the Tylskis.

The authorities were tipped off to the abuse when the girl was brought to the emergency room with a broken femur in 2006. The Tylskis said she fell down the stairs but an investigation followed and doctors found extensive bruising and six or seven healing fractures in her hand.

Friends of the Tylskis say that the couple did nothing wrong, despite their admissions, and said they only pled guilty so that they could avoid prison and losing custody of their other three children. The prosecutor, on the other hand, said that the girl’s new family wanted closure and agreed not to pursue prison time so long as they got the public admission.

In a final bit of irony, in 2004 Tylski served as a spokesman for an organization called All Pro Dad. The organization was designed to help men become better fathers.