A Former Standout NFL Player Is Accused Of Raping 9 Women

A former NFL athlete who has spoken publicly about the importance of respecting women has now been accused of drugging and raping nine women in the past year and a half, The New York Times reports.

Darren Sharper - who won a Super Bowl with the New Orleans Saints before his retirement in 2011 - was one of 70 NFL players who contributed to the book "NFL Dads Dedicated to Daughters" that promoted safe treatment of women.

"My daughter makes me mindful of how women are treated, undervalued and exploited," Sharper wrote in the 2010 book.

Now, Sharper is facing horrifying allegations of sexual assault in five different states.

On multiple occasions, Sharper allegedly invited women he had met at club parties back to his hotel room, where he made drinks for them before they blacked out. The women claim that upon waking they found Sharper in the act of sexually assaulting them or found evidence that he had done it in their sleep, such as waking up naked or in pain, according to the New York Times.

Sharper has been jailed in Los Angeles since February and is scheduled to appear in a California court Friday, the state where is is expected to be tried first. In addition to the charges there and in Arizona, there is an arrest warrant out for him in New Orleans, and he faces more rape accusations in Nevada and Florida, according to The Times.

Blair Berk, a lawyer for Sharper, told the Times that the public would be surprised when they learn the facts of the cases.

"There has been an assumption made," she told The Times. "Because there are multiple states involved, people think he must be guilty. But it's important that the public doesn't jump to that conclusion."