Former San Francisco 49ers DT Dana Stubblefield convicted of rape

Former San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Dana Stubblefield was convicted of rape Monday by a Santa Clara County jury.

Stubblefield, 49, a three-time Pro Bowl selection who played 11 seasons in the NFL -- including seven seasons with the 49ers -- was accused of raping a 31-year-old developmentally disabled woman at his home on April 9, 2015, SFGate reported.

The jury found Stubblefield guilty of rape by force, oral copulation by force and false imprisonment and acquitted him of raping a person incapable of giving consent, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Jurors also determined that Stubblefield used a gun during the assault, according to Santa Clara County prosecutors.

Stubblefield faces 15 years to life in prison, the Chronicle reported.

In addition to the 49ers, Stubblefield played for Washington and the Oakland Raiders. He was the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1993 and was a member of the 1994 49ers team that won Super Bowl XXIX, SFGate reported.

"This was a triumph of resilience," Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement. "The victim has struggled her whole life with learning disabilities and challenges to be self-sufficient. If we are not fighting for her, then who are we fighting for?"

Allen Sawyer, one of Stubblefield’s attorneys, characterized the meeting with the babysitter as a “paid encounter for sex,‘' and said the defense was prevented from showing the jury evidence that would have supported that argument, ESPN reported.

“There’s a lot of information that we have that the jury was not allowed to have that we think would have been impactful to their decision,” Sawyer told the Chronicle.

Cox Media Group