Darren Sharper charged with raping two women, with more under investigation

Darren Sharper, former safety for the Packers, Vikings, and Saints and current analyst on the NFL Network, has been charged by prosecutors for drugging and raping two women in California, four counts of furnishing illegal drugs and one count of illegal morphine possession, allegedly using zolpidem, also known as the sleep aide prescription drug called Ambien.

Per CNN:

Sharper, who lives in Miami Beach, Florida, allegedly told them he had to stop by his Los Angeles hotel room to pick up something, and he invited them to the room. While there, he allegedly gave each woman a drink in the form of shot, and the women then passed out, prosecutors said.

The first woman woke up naked hours later as Sharper allegedly was sexually assaulting her, prosecutors said. The other woman awakened and "interrupted his actions," according to court papers cited by prosecutors.

Sharper, whose attorney Blair Berk promises will be exonerated, could face 30 years in state prison.

Additionally, Sharper is under investigation for five more drug-related rapes in three different states, according to reports, including Tempe, Arizona, Las Vegas, Nevada, and New Orleans, Louisiana.

"I believe that the defendant is involved in seven acts of rape and eleven acts of furnishing a controlled substance" in those three communities and the Los Angeles area between last September and January, Los Angeles police investigator John Macchiarella stated in papers requesting an increase in Sharper's bail to $10 million.

As of this moment, Sharper only faces criminal chargers in Los Angeles with his arraignment scheduled for Feb. 20.