Former Pro-Bowler Darren Sharper Pleads Guilty In Four-State Sexual Assault Case

The extremely weird tale of Darren Sharper, former Super Bowl winning safety and NFL Network analyst, has officially come to an end. In a multi-state negotiated plea deal, Sharper is expected to be sentenced to a 20-year prison term, where he is eligible for parole after nine years.

Sharper was initially indicted for sexual assault against nine women in four states — Louisiana, Arizona, California and Nevada to be specific. The charges stem from separate incidents where the defendant drugged women and raped them. In his plea deal, he pleaded guilty to the incident in Phoenix — where he sexually assaulted one woman and attacked another — no contest in California and is expected to plead guilty to the Nevada and Louisiana charges.

“Sharper, 39, entered his plea just as his preliminary hearing was set to begin before Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor,” stated in a statement released by Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office. “Sentencing was put over until July 15. He is expected to be sentenced to 20 years in state prison under the terms of a negotiated settlement. Sharper pleaded to two counts of rape by use of drugs and four counts of furnishing a controlled substance.”

But according to this nationwide negotiated deal, all four states’ charges would be served simultaneously. This means he would probably only serve around nine years of a twenty-year sentence with time served being deducted, according to NY Daily News’ sources.

And while this seems like a light sentence for what is essentially a serial rapist, one of the victims is happy about the speedy court proceedings. “I represent Jane Doe #2 in the California case,” civil rights lawyer Gloria Allred told the Daily News. “My client is happy that Darren Sharper entered a plea and she is looking forward to providing her victim impact statement in court in July in California.”