Friday’s release of the Ted Wells report obscured many of the troubling details that emerged in a California courtroom regarding former NFL player and current NFL Network analyst Darren Sharper.
According to NFL Network, Sharper remains suspended without pay by the league’s in-house network. And for good reason. The allegations made against Sharper, who played for the Packers, Vikings, and Saints, are very troubling.
Sharper is a suspect in seven alleged rapes, all of which allegedly occurred via drugging of the victims. The incidents occurred in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Tempe, and New Orleans. According to a court filing made in connection with Sharper’s bail, one of three women allegedly drugged in Arizona retained a shot glass into which Sharper had poured a drink, and the glass was determined to have the drug zolpidem (known widely as Ambien) in it.
The full document paints the picture of a psychopath who deliberately administered on a serial basis drugs aimed at knocking out his victims. While Sharper is entitled to the presumption of innocence and the very high burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt, it’ll be hard to argue a misunderstanding or a money grab. And it won’t be a shock if more victims come forward, given that the various incidents mentioned in the filing happened in the fairly tight time frame between September 2013 and January 2014.
Sharper remains free on $200,000 bail. He cannot leave the L.A. area, and he was required to surrender his passport.