Federal Judge Rejects Plea Deal for Former NFL Star Darren Sharper

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- A federal judge has rejected a plea deal in the drug and rape case against former NFL star Darren Sharper, saying the possible nine-year sentence doesn't reflect the seriousness of his alleged crimes.

In this Feb. 20, 2014, file photo, former NFL safety Darren Sharper appears in Los Angeles Superior Court in Los Angeles. Sharper is moving closer to resolving charges that he drugged and sexually assaulted women in four states. Sharper faces at least nine years in prison after having pleaded guilty or no-contest to charges that he distributed drugs with the intent to commit rape in Nevada, Arizona and California. He previously pleaded not guilty in New Orleans, but is set to change that plea Friday morning, May 29, 2015, in federal court. (Bob Chamberlin/Los Angeles Times via AP, Pool, File)

U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo said Thursday that Sharper must decide before a sentencing hearing next month whether he wants to withdraw his guilty plea.

Sharper had pleaded guilty as part of a deal involving charges in four states. He also has pleaded guilty or no contest to similar charges in state courts in California, Arizona, Nevada and Louisiana.

His attorneys declined comment as they left the courtroom.

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