Former NFL star Darren Sharper was charged in California on Friday in the alleged drugging and rape of two women, one in October and the other last month, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office said. The five-time Pro Bowl player who became an NFL Network analyst is charged with two counts of rape by use of drugs, four counts of furnishing a controlled substance and one count of possession of a controlled substance, all felonies, the prosecutor's office said.
Sharper, 38, who played defensive back for the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints during his 14-year career, appeared Friday in a Los Angeles County court, but his arraignment was postponed until Thursday, said spokesman Ricardo Santiago of the district attorney's office. Sharper was arrested January 17 and released on $200,000 bail, but prosecutors will seek next Thursday to raise his bail to $10 million, Santiago said.
The alleged controlled substances were morphine and zolpidem, another name for the prescription sleep aid Ambien.
