Former NFL defensive lineman Dana Stubblefield could spend the rest of his life behind bars. On Monday, Stubblefield was convicted of the rape of the developmentally disabled woman after luring the victim into his home with the promise of a babysitting job, according to prosecutors. A jury in California found Stubblefield, 49, guilty of rape by force, oral copulation by force and false imprisonment, and acquitted him of raping a person incapable of giving consent, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
The jurors also found that Stubblefield used a gun during the assault. He is now facing 15 years to life in prison. The verdict came down after nine months of deliberation and five months after the victim reported the incident to the police. One day before the assault Stubblefield contacted the 31-year-old woman on a babysitting website. Stubblefield interviewed her for 20 minutes but contacted the woman again saying he wanted to pay her for her time that day. According to the report by the Morgan Hill Police Department, Stubblefield paid the woman $80 after the assault and let her go.
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Allen Sawyer, one of Stubblefield’s lawyers, described the incident as a “paid encounter for sex” and not rape. “There’s a lot of information that we have, that the jury was not allowed to have, that we think would have been impactful to their decision,” Sawyer said to the San Francisco Chronicle after the verdict was read. We expect to keep fighting for Mr. Stubblefield’s innocence. We will clear his name, and we look forward to fighting this out in the courts. This is just the first battle.”
Stubblefield was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round back in 1993 and made an immediate impact. In his rookie season, Stubblefield recorded 64 tackles and 10.5 sacks, which led to him being named Defensive Rookie of the Year. He was named to his first Pro Bowl in 1994 after posting 38 tackles and 8.5 sacks, which helped the 49ers win the Super Bowl. His best season was in 1997 when tallied 61 tackles and 15 sacks. Stubblefield was named to the All-Pro First Team and was named Defensive Player of the Year. Stubblefield then joined Washington in 1998 and spent three seasons there before heading back the San Francisco for two years. His final season was in 2003 and played eight games for the Oakland Raiders.
