Darren Sharper pleads guilty to sexual assault in Arizona; sentenced to 9 years

Ex-NFL player Darren Sharper has been sentenced to nine years in prison after a change of plea hearing in which he pleaded guilty to sexual assault in Arizona.

Jailed in Los Angeles since February 2014 after originally pleading not guilty to charges of drugging and raping two women there, Sharper appeared in a Phoenix courtroom by video conference to change his plea.

Though his separate cases in California, Nevada and Louisiana are still ongoing, Sharper is expected to have similar change of plea hearings in the coming weeks, likely adding to his jail time.

Sharper spent 14 years in the NFL, playing safety for the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints before retiring in 2011 and joining NFL Network as an analyst.