Ex-NFL star Sharper charged with rape in Las Vegas

[March 21, 2015]  (Reuters) - Rape charges have been filed in Las Vegas against five-time NFL Pro Bowl defensive back Darren Sharper, who is in jail in California on sexual assault charges, court records showed on Friday.

Sharper, 39, is accused of sexually assaulting two women who were "physically incapable of resisting or understanding the nature of the defendant's conduct," according to a previously sealed criminal complaint filed in Las Vegas this week.

Each count carries a possible sentence of 10 years to life in Nevada state prison.

The 14-year National Football League veteran, who played with Green Bay, Minnesota, and New Orleans, also faces sexual assault charges in Louisiana and Arizona.

Sharper, who helped the New Orleans Saints win the Super Bowl following the 2009 season, faces charges in California of drugging four women and raping two of them and is being held without bail in a Los Angeles jail.

Los Angeles prosecutors have said they would ask to keep Sharper in their jurisdiction to proceed first with their case, even if another state formally seeks his extradition.

(Reporting by Steve Ginsburg in Washington; Editing by Sandra Maler)

[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.