After a federal judge last month rejected his previous plea agreement, Sharper was left with little leverage in seeking a better deal, though terms of the new plea agreement weren’t disclosed.
Sharper, 40, could’ve withdrawn his guilty plea but then would’ve faced a trial and the possibility of spending 20 years in prison if found guilty of federal rape and drug charges.
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U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo, who rejected the previous deal, set a March 17 hearing on Sharper’s new plea agreement.
A trial is scheduled for May 16 involving two of his alleged accomplices: former sheriff’s deputy Brandon Licciardi and New Orleans waiter Erik Nunez. Both have pleaded not guilty.
Sharper pleaded guilty or no contest to charges in California, Nevada, Arizona and Louisiana that he used drugs to render women unconscious before raping them while they slept.
He played for the Saints, with whom he won a Super Bowl, as well as the Vikings and Packers in a 14-year NFL career that ended after the 2010 season.
