Former NFL defensive lineman Dana Stubblefield had his rape conviction overturned on Wednesday after an appeals court determined that prosecutors had made racially discriminatory statements during his trial.
The Sixth Court of Appeals in Los Angeles found that prosecutors violated the California Racial Justice Act of 2020, a measure passed during a summer of racial injustice over the police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota.
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FILE – Former NFL football player Dana Stubblefield leaves a federal courthouse in San Francisco, Jan. 18, 2008. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)
The law barred prosecutors from seeking a criminal conviction or imposing a sentence on the basis of race.
Stubblefield, who is Black, was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison in October 2020 after being convicted of raping a developmentally disabled woman in 2015 who prosecutors said he lured to his home with a promise of a babysitting job.
The appeals court said that prosecutors had used “racially discriminatory language” that required it to overturn the former San Francisco 49ers star’s conviction.
Stubblefield’s attorney, Kenneth Rosenfeld, said the case had been “infected with tremendous error from the minute we started the trial.”
Prosecutors said Stubblefield contacted the woman in April 2015 via a babysitting website and arranged the interview. A police report said that the interview lasted about 20 minutes and the woman said she received a text from Stubblefield saying he wanted to pay her for her time and that she went back to the house.
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Oct. 12, 2003; Cleveland, OH: Oakland Raiders defensive tackle Dana Stubblefield (94) during the game against the Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium. (Matthew Emmons-USA Today Sports)
The police report said that the woman had told authorities that Stubblefield had raped her at gunpoint, given her $80 and let her go and that DNA evidence matched the former NFL player.
Defense attorneys have said there was no rape, and their client has said the woman had consented to sex in exchange for the cash.
Prosecutors said during the trial that police had never searched Stubblefield’s house and had never introduced a gun into evidence, saying that it was because he was a famous Black man and it would “open up a storm of controversy,” according to the appeals court’s decision.
The court said that by determining that Stubblefield’s race had been a factor in law enforcement’s decision to forgo searching his house, prosecutors had implied that the house would have been searched and that a gun would not have been found had Stubblefield not been Black.
Stubblefield, a Super Bowl champion and a three-time Pro Bowler in the NFL, spent 11 seasons in the league. He played for the 49ers, Washington Redskins and Oakland Raiders.
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Steve Young celebrates with Dana Stubblefield (94) against the San Diego Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX at Joe Robbie Stadium. (Matthew Emmons-USA Today Sports)
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He remained in custody until a hearing later this week. Attorneys will ask a judge to approve a motion to release him. Prosecutors could ask the court to stay their decision and possibly send it to the state Supreme Court or refile charges.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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