Former Vikings Safety Darren Sharper Is Headed To Prison

Former NFL safety Darren Sharper has pled guilty to charges including sexual assault and attempted sexual assault in a Phoenix, Arizona courtroom today after a plea bargain has lessened the severity of his charges. Despite the compromise, Sharper was still sentenced to nine years in prison according to an article on the ESPN website.

Jan 24, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; General view of football with Super Bowl XLIX logo and cactus at the Sky Harbor Airport in advance of the game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Darren Sharper was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the second round of the 1997 NFL draft and spent eight seasons there before joining the Minnesota Vikings for the 2005 NFL season. He stayed in Minnesota until 2009, when he left the Vikings for the New Orleans Saints until his retirement in 2010. Over the course of his career, he was a six time All-Pro and five time Pro Bowl player and was a member of the Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints for the 2009 season.

His accomplishments on the field are pretty impressive. Over the course of his career, he accumulated 63 interceptions, 9 forced fumbles, 8 fumble recoveries, 7.5 sacks and 943 combined tackles. However, all those accomplishments are now cast in a large shadow due to his alleged drugging and sexual assault in four states.

Darren Sharper still has to answer to other courts around the United States as well. Although we now know the results of the case in Arizona, there are still cases to be heard in California, Nevada, and Louisiana. The hearing in California is currently in progress with Nevada and Louisiana to be held later this month.

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