Ex-Yankees prospect Taylor receives prison term

Former New York Yankees pitching prospect Brien Taylor was sentenced to 38 months in prison after pleading guilty to distributing crack cocaine.

Taylor, the No. 1 overall selection in the 1991 draft, also will face three years of supervised release after he completes his prison term.

Taylor, 40, was arrested in March when police purchased cocaine and crack cocaine from him in North Carolina during a period of several months.

Neither Taylor nor attorneys from the federal public defender's office who represented him would comment after the sentencing. But Taylor apologized to U.S. District Court Judge Louise Flanagan for inflicting pain on his family, which includes five daughters.

"This is a tragic story -- all too often our professional athletes spiral into criminal activity after an athletic disappointment or injury," U.S. Attorney Thomas Walker said in a statement to ESPN. "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."

Despite signing a contract that included a $1.55 million bonus with the Yankees, the left-hander with a 100 mph fastball never pitched in the major leagues after suffering an arm injury during a fight.