It’s Friday once again! It’s time for my very own Miguel’s Friday Thoughts. I will break down some news about former NFL player Darren Sharper and his latest scandal. Also, talk about what’s been happening recently at the Rio Olympics.
Darren Sharper has been sentenced to 18 years in prison in a case in which he was accused of drugging and raping as many as 16 women in four states.
U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo sentenced Sharper on Thursday, telling him she couldn’t understand how he did what he did, as he was college educated and obviously had grown up “in one of the most loving households.”
Sharper, jailed since February 2014, had pleaded guilty in federal court in New Orleans to drugging three women so he could rape them. He also has pleaded guilty or no contest in state courts in Louisiana, Arizona, California and Nevada to charges arising from allegations of drugging and raping women.
Sharper will be sentenced on Aug. 25 in Louisiana state court. He said he believes Sharper will be sentenced next month in Las Vegas and couldn’t recall the Los Angeles sentencing date.
A woman who woke up next to Sharper after being drugged also spoke before Milazzo handed down the sentence. The woman’s voice was shaky and she frequently brought a handkerchief to her eyes. She told Sharper that because of arrogance and “clear stupidity,” he kept drugging and raping women even after he knew she was talking to state and federal investigators.
This is an absolutely disturbing news about Darren Sharper. No woman deserves to be treated that way. This just keeps looking worse and worse for Sharper. His reputation is a catastrophe. There’s no doubt that there will be serious consequences to pay for what he has done to these woman.
Sharper was named All-Pro six times and chosen for the Pro Bowl five times. He spent his career with the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints. He played in two Super Bowls, one with the Packers as a rookie and one with the Saints when they won in 2010.
He ended a 14-year career in 2011. He was working as an NFL network analyst when women began telling police in several cities similar stories of blacking out while drinking with him and waking up groggy to find they had been sexually abused.
Now we go to the Rio Olympics. American swimmers Ryan Lochte and Jimmy Feigen could still face serious charges. This all started when Lochte and his teammates were robbed at gunpoint at a gas station in a Rio suburb after returning from a night of partying. This happened around 2am. When the gunman told them to get down, Lochte was the only one who refused to get down because he knew that him and his teammates didn’t do anything wrong.
There has been a twist lately that Brazilian police have said that the four American swimmers were not robbed at gunpoint. Hmm.
Feigen was being interviewed at an undisclosed location late Thursday afternoon. Earlier, Olympics teammates Jack Conger and Gunnar Bentz were interviewed by Brazilian police.
Lochte and Feigen had been indicted, citing the Federal Police of Brazil. If any charges are to be recommended, they would come at the end of the investigation.
Veloso said the four swimmers vandalized the bathroom on the side of the gas station, damaging mirrors and other property. He said surveillance video shows employees of the gas station tried to control the situation but that the swimmers went to their taxi and tried to get away.
New Zealand runner Nikki Hamblin was lying on the track, dazed after a heavy fall and with her hopes of an Olympic medal seemingly over. Suddenly, there was a hand on her shoulder and a voice in her ear: “Get up. We have to finish this.” It was American runner Abbey D’Agostino, who stopped her race to help her out.
This is what the Olympics are all about. This shows that there are still a lot of good people in this world. I was amazed when I saw this on live TV. I just wish more people were this way. Setting a great example and inspiring others.
It started when D’Agostino clipped Hamblin from behind and they both went sprawling with about 2,000 meters to go.
Hamblin fell heavily on her right shoulder. D’Agostino got up, but Hamblin was just lying there. She appeared to be crying. Instead of running in pursuit of the others, D’Agostino crouched down and put her hand on the New Zealander’s shoulder, then under her arms to help her up, and softly urged her not to quit.
Wow! This is why we love sports. This is nothing but class and respect.
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