Former NFL All-Pro Darren Sharper Pleads Guilty to Sexual Assault

PHOENIX (AP) — Former NFL All-Pro Darren Sharper has pleaded guilty to sexual assault and attempted sexual assault in a plea deal with Arizona prosecutors and was immediately sentenced to nine years in prison.

The former safety is accused of drugging and sexually assaulting women in four states. On Monday, Sharper changed his plea in Phoenix via video-conferencing from Los Angeles. He was also scheduled to enter a new plea in person in LA court.

The Arizona and California cases, combined with others in Nevada and Louisiana, are likely to lead to a long prison sentence.

In each state, he's accused of drugging and sexually assaulting women when they were unconscious or otherwise unable to resist or consent.

Similar hearings will follow in Las Vegas this week and in New Orleans in the next month.