Darren Sharper a former safety for the New Orleans Saints was sentenced to 18 years in prison for drugging and raping more than 16 woman in four states.
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According to TMZ.com, which cited unidentified sources connected to the case, Sharper is expected to serve 85 percent of the 18-year sentence – and with time served, he’ll spend roughly the next 13 to 14 years in prison, pending cases in state courts in California, Arizona, Nevada and Louisiana.
Sharper held back tears as he apologized for his actions. Sharper said he’s still trying to figure out why he did.
The 40-year-old was accused of drugging women in order to rape them.
Prosecutors had offered a 9-year prison term for Sharper, which would have accounted for all jurisdictions, but Triche Milazzo rejected the deal, saying in June that it was too lenient.
Sharper previously pleaded guilty in federal court in New Orleans to drugging three women so he could rape them.
The higher sentence fell within the range of 15 to 19 years that a federal probation report recommended, based in part on the sheer number of victims – 16 – who came forward with charged and uncharged allegations against Sharper. He was also fined $20,000.
His voice thickened and broke as he said his parents hadn’t raised him to take such actions.
The sentence was 15 months short of the maximum. They, along with Sharper, also await sentences before Orleans Parish Criminal District Court Judge Karen Herman.
During his illustrious career the former defensive back played 14 seasons in the National Football League with Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints. His two co-defendants, Brandon Licciardi and Erik Nunez, are scheduled to be sentenced on October 13.
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He played in the Super Bowl in 2010 for the winning Saints, as well as an earlier Super Bowl appearance for the Packers. He was working as an NFL Network analyst when women began to allege that they had blacked out while drinking with him and woke up to find they had been sexually abused.
