NFL All-Pro safety Darren Sharper surrendered to Los Angeles police after being listed in a warrant for a
rape in New Orleans.
Sharper, 38, is also under investigation for sexual assault in Florida, Nevada, and Arizona, and he has pled not guilty to rape charges in Los Angeles.
According to LAPD Officer Bruce Borihan, Sharper’s surrender on Thursday night was planned ahead of time. He
was being held at the downtown Metropolitan Detention Center.
In a bail request filed in the California case, Los Angeles County Investigator John Maccharella explained how the
former football star met women at clubs or parties and lured them to a hotel room, where they were reportedly
drugged and raped.
Sharper’s lawyers have stated that they will prove that whatever sexual interaction Sharper had was welcomed. Sharper played in the NFL from 1997 to 2010, largely for the Green Bay Packers.
According to the motion, the occurrences occurred within the last five months, with two taking place in Los Angeles
and Las Vegas in the same day.
Maccharella claimed he was told that a woman went to a New Orleans bar with Sharper, drank an alcoholic beverage
given by him, and blacked out. The bail request alleged that she awoke the next morning while being sexually
abused, and that an examination later revealed Sharper’s DNA was present.
Another man charged with rape in the New Orleans case turned himself in to authorities on Friday.
Erik Nunez, 26, was arrested on two counts of aggravated rape in connection with alleged assaults in New Orleans in September, according to police.
On Thursday, police issued warrants for Sharper and Nunez. They are facing charges in connection with the alleged
rape of two women on September 23, according to police spokeswoman Remi Braden.
Sharper’s New Orleans-based attorney, Nandi Campbell, and Leonard B. Levine, who represented Sharper in the California case, did not return phone requests for comment.
Braden said she didn’t know if Nunez had an attorney.
According to Braden, the assault investigation in New Orleans is still ongoing, and additional charges are possible.
If convicted in the California case, Sharper could face up to 30 years in state prison. If convicted for aggravated rape
Sharper was named All-Pro six times and made the Pro Bowl five times. He appeared in two Super Bowls, the first
with the Green Bay Packers as a rookie and the second with the New Orleans Saints.
