Former NFL safety Darren Sharper — who previously pleaded no contest to charges of drugging and raping two women he met in a West Hollywood nightclub and also struck plea deals to resolve similar charges in two other states — was sued Thursday by three of the victims.
The plaintiffs filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging assault and battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress and civil conspiracy.
The suit states that Sharper met two of the plaintiffs in West Hollywood in January 2014 and gave both controlled substances. Sharper had nonconsensual sex with one of the women and inappropriately touched the other, the suit alleges.
The next night, Sharper met the third plaintiff in Las Vegas, drugged her and had nonconsensual sex with her, the suit alleges.
Sharper, 40, also reached deals with prosecutors in other states and entered his pleas remotely from Los Angeles in March. He was sentenced to nine years in prison.
A member of the league’s 2000s All-Decade Team and a five-time Pro Bowl selection, Sharper was suspended from his job as an analyst with the NFL Network following his initial arrest.
Sharper played for the Green Bay Packers in 1997-2004, the Minnesota Vikings in 2005-2008 and the New Orleans Saints in 2009-2010. He was on the Saints team that won Super Bowl XLIV in February 2010.
Sharper’s criminal case attorney, Leonard Levine, could not be immediately reached for comment.
— Wire reports