Former NFL star Darren Sharper has been sentenced to 18 years in prison in a case in which he was accused of drugging and raping women in four different states. Sharper was arrested in 2014 on rape charges in Louisiana, Nevada, Arizona and California.
U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo in New Orleans handed down the sentence Thursday after Sharper's plea deal was rejected. Sharper previously pleaded guilty and no-contest to raping—or attempting to rape—nine women between Aug. 31, 2013, and Jan. 15, 2014. A total of 16 women accused Sharper of assault; not all of the accusations resulted in charges.
"They didn't deserve anything being a part of my heinous decisions," Sharper said. "I still don't know why I lived my life right for 38 years and then I took this path."