Former NFL star Dana Stubblefield was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison on Thursday for the rape of a developmentally disabled woman, TMZ has reported. The ex-San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman was convicted in July for rape by force, oral copulation by force, and false imprisonment for the 2015 assault of a 31-year-old woman whom he interviewed for a supposed babysitting job.
The victim traveled to his Morgan Hill home for the interview, which lasted roughly 20 minutes. After her departure, Stubblefield texted her telling her he wanted to pay her for her time. He reportedly raped her and gave her $80 when she returned. The woman reported the attack to authorities and Stubblefield was arrested in May 2016. His lawyers argued that the sex was consensual and that the 49-year-old was being targeted "due to his celebrity and wealth by someone with full motivation to lie."
Stubblefield's attorney, Allen Sawyer, said his client would appeal the sentencing. He was determined to clear Stubblefield's name.
"We're very confident that if the jury had the correct information, they would have [come] to a different conclusion," Sawyer said. "I've never had a case that so much evidence has been excluded. We wanted the truth to come out and we're going to keep fighting. [Dana] knows he's innocent and he's confident the system is going to get it right and he's gonna be patient. It's hard on his family. He has children and a wife but this is what he has to go through in order to get to where he needs to be."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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