Former NFL player Darren Sharper was sentenced to 18 years in prison today (Aug. 18) for serial rape.
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Sharper’s federal sentence came as a result of his decision to maintain his guilty pleas to three drug counts, despite Milazzo’s refusal to endorse a “global deal” that called for him to serve a nine-year stretch in federal prison to resolve the charges against him across four states.
The former Green Bay Packer, New Orleans Saint and Minnesota Viking was given the jail term as part of a plea agreement in which he took responsibility for drugging and raping nine women.
Sharper also admitted, as part of a guilty plea in Orleans Parish Criminal District Court, that he raped another woman at a hotel across the street from the condo a few weeks earlier.
Both Sharper and one of Sharper’s victims made emotional statements before Judge Jane Triche Milazzo.
“I would like to apologize a thousand times”, the 40-year-old Sharper said.
The unidentified woman also said Sharper was so cocky and “twisted” that he continued drugging and raping women even after he knew the attack on her was being investigated.
Former NFL safety Darren Sharper (C) appears in court with his lawyers Lisa Wayne (L) and Leonard Levine at Los Angeles Superior Court March 23, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. She closed out her remarks by telling him to “go to hell”, after tearfully stating that she didn’t believe his actions to be a mistake, but rather, a way of life.
Milazzo has scheduled sentencing October 13 for Licciardi and a second New Orleans codefendant, Erik Nunez. Licciardi has accepted a 17 year sentence and Nunez accepted 10. In addition to his prison sentence, he faces three years of supervised release.
She said she understands that people make mistakes.
Sharper’s family left the courtroom without speaking to reporters.
Sharper intercepted 63 passes in his career, was named All-Pro 6 times and selected to five Pro Bowls.
Darren Sharper won the Super Bowl with the New Orleans Saints in 2010.
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He ended his 14-year career in 2001, was working as an National Football League network analyst when several woman approached police in different cities with parallel stories of blacking out while drinking with him.
