NFL safety Darren Sharper on Friday with raping and drugging two

LOS ANGELES -- Prosecutors charged former NFL safety Darren Sharper on Friday with raping and drugging two women in California and disclosed he is under investigation in connection with five more drug-related rapes in three other states. Ross Cockrell Jersey . Sharper briefly appeared in Los Angeles Superior Court, where his arraignment was postponed until Feb. 20 at the request of his lawyers. They issued a statement saying he would be exonerated. Prosecutors then filed a motion to increase Sharpers bail to $10 million and outlined details of investigations involving him in Las Vegas, Tempe, Ariz., and New Orleans. Sharper has not been charged in the other jurisdictions. In the bail motion, Los Angeles County Investigator John Maccharella described a pattern in which the former football star met women at clubs or parties and lured them to a hotel room, where they were allegedly drugged and raped. The motion says the incidents happened in the past five months, with two occurring within a day in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. After conferring with police in other jurisdictions, Maccharella said in the bail motion that the first assault followed an event for New Orleans Saints football players on Sept. 22, 2013. Maccharella said he was told a woman went to a New Orleans bar with Sharper, consumed an alcoholic beverage provided by him and blacked out. She awoke the next morning while being sexually assaulted, the bail motion stated, noting that an exam later showed Sharpers DNA was present. The Los Angeles charges were based on incidents on Oct. 30, 2013, and Jan. 14, 2014, beginning at a West Hollywood nightclub. Sharper allegedly met two women each time, invited them to a party then said he had to stop at his hotel. In the October incident, each woman was given a shot of an alcoholic beverage before blacking out, and one later awoke to find the other being sexually assaulted, the charging documents state. In January, a woman awoke and suspected she had been assaulted, the documents state. Similar scenarios played out on Jan. 15 in Las Vegas and on Nov. 20, 2013, in Arizona, the bail motion states. In Los Angeles, Sharper is facing two counts of rape by use of drugs, four counts of furnishing a controlled substance, and one count of possession of a controlled substance. The complaint alleges the drugs involved were morphine and zolpidem, which is sold under the brand name Ambien. Sharper was represented by prominent Los Angeles attorneys Blair Berk and Leonard Levine. "We look forward to the true facts being revealed in this case," Berk said after the brief court appearance. "And we are hopeful Mr. Sharper will be fully exonerated before this case is concluded." Sharper, 38, played in the NFL from 1997 to 2010, mostly with the Packers. Sharper was arrested on Jan. 17. He was allowed to remain free on $200,000 bail and ordered to surrender his passport. He has not entered a plea. Superior Court Judge Roberto Longoria did not immediately take up the bail motion. Sharpers lawyers refused to comment on the other investigations. If convicted in the California case, Sharper could face more than 30 years in state prison. Sharper was selected All-Pro six times and chosen for the Pro Bowl five times. He played in two Super Bowls, one with the Packers as a rookie and a second with the Saints. Corey Graham Authentic Jersey . -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are making a case for saving coach Greg Schianos job with a strong second-half turnaround. Mike Williams Authentic Jersey . LUCIE, Fla.HOUSTON -- The Phoenix Suns did something against the Houston Rockets they had not done in their previous two games. Every time the Rockets made a run at the young Suns on Wednesday night, Phoenix responded. Eric Bledsoe had 20 points and seven assists to lead Phoenix to a 97-88 win over Houston on Wednesday night that snapped the Suns two-game losing streak. PJ Tucker added 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting with six rebounds. Channing Frye had 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting and grabbed six rebounds, and Goran Dragic chipped in 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting for the Suns, who shot 45.6 per cent from the field, including 45.8 per cent from behind the arc. "Throughout the year, we have had games where we have the lead in the fourth quarter," Phoenix coach Jeff Hornacek said. "We have blown some, and as a young team, that happens. You want to see the progress where that doesnt happen. They cut it down, and we could have gotten panicked where we forced shots, but we didnt." Dwight Howard had 15 points and 18 rebounds, Aaron Brooks added 17 points and six assists, and Omri Casspi had 14 points and seven rebounds for the Rockets, who lost their second straight game. James Harden, who was guarded by Tucker, finished with 14 points, hitting 3 of 17 from the field and going 0 for 10 from behind the arc. Patrick Beverley had 12 points and eight rebounds. Houston shot 35 per cent from the floor and turned the ball over 23 times. Houston coach Kevin McHale said the Rockets did not play very well. "In the first quarter, Phoenix came up and got real aggressive with us and were denying us around the court," McHale said. "We didnt handle that very well, and then you compound that with shots not going. We had no flow tonight. . I just thought the 13 assists, 23 turnovers, some really errant passing. We gave up 25 points off our turnovers, so we just fed them." The Rockets opened the fourth quarter with a 13-2 run to cut the Suns lead to 75-74 on Brooks 3-pointer with 7 minutes remaining. As they did throughout the game, the Suns responded, going on a 13-0 run over the next four minutes to expand the lead to 14 on Marcus Morris 3-pointer with 3 minutes remaining. Houston tried to answer, closing within 88-82 on an 8-0 run capped by Brooks 3-pointer with 1:49 remaining. "Playing on the road against the No. 1 offensive team in the league, you knoow they are going to make a run," Tucker said. Frank Summers Authentic Jersey. . "Its just one of those things where you keep playing hard and keep taking those shots. We started missing some shots, but we wanted to stick with it and pushing the ball back up." Again, the Suns would have an answer as Morris connected on a 3-pointer from the corner followed by two free throws from Dragic to push the lead to 11 with 1:15 left. "We know that Houston likes to push the ball," Dragic said. "In every NBA game, we know that every team is going to have a run. If youre solid on defence and play together on offence, I think we find the right open guy at the right time, and he makes shot. Thats huge play." Houston tried once more to slice into the lead, getting it down to seven points on Beverleys 3-pointer with 57 seconds left. Houston got no closer the rest of the way. Howard said the Rockets bad offensive night had nothing to do with them missing shots, the Suns "just played harder than us." "We cant give away games like this," Howard said. "It will come back to bite us in games later this season. Weve got to learn how, no matter how many guys we have out there, short-handed and all, weve got to play the same way, play hard and play aggressive." After the Rockets got to 63-61 on Garcias 3-pointer with 2:20 left in the third, the Suns finished the quarter on a 10-0 run, capped by two free throws by Markieff Morris to take a 12-point lead into the fourth. Houston opened the second half with an 11-4 run to get within 55-51 on Beverleys 3-pointer with 6:50 remaining in the third quarter. Phoenix used a 14-3 run over a three-minute span of the second quarter to take a 47-34 lead on Tuckers 3 with 3:09 remaining in the quarter. The Suns shot 50 per cent in the first half and took a 51-40 lead into the break. Houston shot 29.8 per cent in the first half. "We just didnt have enough energy," Harden said. "We didnt make shots on the offensive end or move the basketball, and they did." NOTES: Jeremy Lin sat out with a right knee sprain. ... Houston said centre Omer Asik will miss a week with a right thigh contusion. Asik will be re-evaluated at the end of the week. . Houston forward Chandler Parsons missed his second straight game with back spasms. . Phoenix centre Alex Len missed his eighth straight game with a sore left ankle. ' ' '