Bleacher Report has dipped its toes into the world of long-form writing, hiring established writers such as Mike Freeman to produce reads more worthy than slide shows and listicles. As such, Freeman drops a compelling tale that has plenty of layers about Darren Sharper. Much of the criminal stuff -- Sharper is accused by eight women in five states of sexual assault -- has already been reported, but Freeman attempts to paint more of a whole picture of Sharper's fall and just how unexpected it was.
Per the piece: This isn't just a story about allegations across multiple jurisdictions. It's about one of professional football's favorite sons, a rising media star and one of the NFL's best defensive backs of all time, being accused of truly heinous crimes. Many who claim to have known Sharper well say they never would have suspected he'd be accused of anything remotely like this.
The totality of the accusations has stunned the NFL, leading many to wonder if one of the league's most visible personalities—a member of the NFL's 2000s All-Decade Team and former analyst on the NFL Network—was leading a double life for a career that stretched 13 years, three teams and two Super Bowls.
The Sharper case remains shrouded in mystery as police continue to decipher dozens of pieces of evidence, and consider the fearsome thought that there may be other alleged Sharper victims.
It's worth a read, as is this piece in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
