Former NFL safety Darren Sharper essentially pleaded guilty to drugging and raping nine women across four states during a multi-year span.
The details surrounding Sharper’s crimes are chilling. He admitted responsibility for drugging female victims before taking them to a private location—in most circumstances a hotel room—and sexually assaulting them.
By either pleading guilty or no contest to all charges in a global plea deal, Sharper admitted to nine different rapes. He was also sentenced to 20 years combined for the offenses that spanned four states—crimes that would see the normal American citizen receive a life sentence.
Jailed since February of 2014, Sharper will be eligible for release in nine years. That’s a one-year sentence for each rape the former Pro Bowler has admitted to. That also means Sharper will likely be released in time for his 50th birthday.
In speaking about the plea deal. Orleans Parish District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro had this to say (via the Times-Picayune).
I certainly don’t think serving 10 years in jail is a slap on the wrist,” Cannizzaro said. “I think that’s a significant sentence.
Cannizzaro continued:
There is a significant period that is hanging over his head. Essentially, he will be on probation for the rest of his life. He will be required to stay in Arizona for the larger portion of his life. So, from the perspective of the sentence, I do believe this is, to some extent, an onerous sentence on Mr. Sharper.
Tell that to the nine women that Sharper raped. Tell that to those close to these women who have been impacted by his violent crimes. Tell that to an unknown number of women around this country that were seemingly just told that the violation of their bodies isn’t worth more than one year in the life of a violent sexual offender. Tell that to the young men and women who are raising children in today’s world. And last of all, tell that to future generations of Americans who will exist in a nation that allowed a man to receive a sentence of less than a decade for violently subjecting other citizens to the humiliation of having their bodies taken from them.
The primary reason behind this plea deal from a justice department perspective was to avoid the expense of having to try Sharper in multiple cases spanning four states. So apparently, money can indeed play a role in the subjective determination that a serial rapist shouldn’t receive a sentence that’s been handed down to other violent criminals throughout this nation’s history.
More so than the justice system working favorably for the group perceived to have the power—in most of this nation’s history, white males—it seems that class plays a larger role in the injustices we see today. Sharper might very well be of a minority group that has been plagued by our criminal justice system over the past two-plus centuries. However, he’s also a part of a power elite that wields power and influence through his checkbook.
When looking into Sharper’s case, there’s not a single argument that can be made to suggest he received a fair sentence. He represents nothing more than the lowest common denominator of the human race. He’s a violent man that has impacted the lives of countless innocent bystanders. He’s committed crimes that most of us could scarcely imagine. Yet, he will be out of prison in nine years. He will be living “free,” even as those who he victimized have to carry the weight of his crimes for the rest of their lives.
Every American should be ashamed by this.
Photo: The Nation