Sharper files notice of appeal in federal rape case (Yahoo Sports)

NFL star Darren Sharper filed a federal court notice Friday that he now plans to appeal his conviction and nearly two-decade sentence in a drug and sexual assault case - a case in which he pleaded guilty. Sharper pleaded guilty or no-contest in four states where he faced allegations that he drugged and raped women. Charged in both state and federal jurisdictions, he had entered a so-called ''global'' plea deal in early 2015 that called for a roughly nine-year sentence.