Update 03/03/2021 4:04pm:

Former NFL player Kellen Winslow II was sentenced to 14 years in prison on Wednesday for multiple rapes and other sexual offenses against five women, including one who was homeless.

San Diego County Superior Court Judge Blaine Bowman said the former tight end could only be described in "two words and that is a sexual predator." The judge highlighted Winslow's habit of preying on victims who were especially vulnerable such as the homeless woman, a 54-year-old hitchhiker, and a passed-out teen.

Judge Bowman also noted the fact that Winslow continued to commit "brazen" acts against women even after his first arrest. According to the Associated Press, "He performed a lewd act in front of a 77-year-old woman at a gym while hiding his GPS monitoring ankle bracelet with a towel. He also exposed himself during that time to a 57-year-old neighbor who was gardening."

"The vulnerability of the victims was no accident," the judge said. "It was the type of victim that you sought out yourself because you felt that perhaps they wouldn't report the crime [or] wouldn't be deemed credible by the jurors."

The 14-year sentence was the maximum allowed under a plea deal. Winslow was originally facing 18 years, but the sexual battery charge was reduced to assault with intent to commit rape. The 37-year-old son of San Diego Chargers Hall of Fame receiver Kellen Winslow was convicted of forcible rape, rape of an unconscious person, assault with intent to commit rape, indecent exposure, and lewd conduct in public.

Winslow was a first-round draft pick, who played for the Cleveland Browns, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New England Patriots, and the New York Jets. At one point he was the highest-paid tight end in the NFL and earned more than $40 million during his 10-year career.

Winslow's lawyer Marc Carlos blamed Winslow's downward spiral from a star athlete to a convicted sexual predator on the head trauma he allegedly suffered from playing football. He added that his client has accepted responsibility and intends to get help.

The father of two, whose wife filed for divorce after he was convicted, must also register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

Source: The Associated Press

Original 02/19/2021 10:25pm:

Former NFL tight end Kellen Winslow II agreed to a 14-year prison sentence as part of a plea deal stemming from charges of sex crimes. 

As part of his revised plea deal, Winslow pleaded guilty to "assaulting a hitchhiker with the intent to commit rape in March 2018." In June 2019, Winslow was found guilty of rape, indecent exposure, and lewd conduct but the jury was deadlocked on six other felony charges. 

While Winslow was scheduled to be sentenced last year, the proceedings were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Winslow is now scheduled to be sentenced in March. 

Source: sports.yahoo.com