Darren Sharper sentenced to 20 years in prison for raping two women

Ex-NFL star Darren Sharper was sentenced to 20 years in prison for raping two women and drugging two others

Former NFL safety Darren Sharper was sentenced to 20 years in prison for raping two women and drugging two others, bringing an end to a case that has spanned four states and taken almost three years to complete.

In August, Sharper was sentenced to 18 years in prison and fined $20,000 for drugging and raping as many as 16 women in four states.

Sharper, 41, pleaded guilty in Louisiana state court last year to two counts of forcible rape for drugging and assaulting two women and one count of simple rape stemming from two separate incidents in August and September 2013 involving three women.

He was given a 20-year sentence in that case.

Sharper also pleaded guilty last year in a New Orleans federal court to three counts of conspiracy to distribute drugs with the intent to commit rape after authorities say he and another man spiked women's drinks with anti-anxiety drugs so they could rape them.

An earlier multi-jurisdiction "global" plea deal, which would have called for Sharper to serve nine years in prison, was rejected in June by Judge Jane Triche Milazzo.

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Sharper has been in jail since February 2014 after being arrested in Los Angeles following the first rape allegations. Sharper also has faced cases in Arizona and Nevada.

Sharper played 14 seasons in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints, making the Pro Bowl five times and being named a two-time first-team All-Pro. He was employed as an analyst for NFL Network before he was fired when the rape allegations surfaced.

– Scooby Axson