To call former New Orleans star Darren Sharper a Saint is quite a stretch nowadays. The former Super Bowl star and Pro Bowl player for the Saints has been accused of drugging multiple women and raping them. The charges filed against Sharper come from his days of still being employed by the NFL. Sharper has been found guilty of having inappropriate contact with nine woman over four states.
Sharper has admitted to the courts his involvement in the drugging and raping of the woman, but also indicated that there were other people included in the horrible acts. Sharper has signed a plea bargain naming others in the scandal to soften the charges against himself. The New Orleans Advocate gives us a glimpse into the loophole Sharper is now using for leverage:
"He signed a 'factual basis' on Friday in which he specifically admitted to committing crimes in New Orleans involving three women. He also implicated former St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's Deputy Brandon Licciardi and ex-Morton's Steakhouse waiter Erik Nunez in the rape scheme."
As The Times-Picayune puts it, the factual basis Sharper has signed is his only chance at not spending the rest of his life in prison:
"The charges carry a maximum 20-year sentence per count. But as part of his plea deal, Sharper's sentence would be capped to nine years in prison -- a term Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark A. Miller told the judge was longer than what would be called for by federal sentencing guidelines. The federal sentence would run concurrently with a similar sentence in Arizona, the only state where Sharper has been sentenced to date."
What do you think of the charges against Darren Sharper? Will his sentencing fit the crimes he has committed? Do the Saints make any moves distancing themselves from the former player? We want to know what you think. Tell us your thoughts below.
