On Monday, Dana Stubblefield was charged with five felony counts in connection to the alleged rape of a woman described by Santa Clara (California) district attorney’s office as “developmentally delayed.” The former 49ers’ and Redskins’ defensive lineman vigorously denied those charges Tuesday, holding a press conference at which his attorney called the woman’s actions “a money grab.”
“I am not a perfect man,” Stubblefield said to reporters at a church he attends in San Jose. “However, the allegations against me, coming a year after a consensual encounter with another woman, are all totally false.”
Stubblefield is accused of sexually assaulting a 31-year-old woman in April 2015 at his Silicon Valley home, after she went there seeking a job as a nanny. According to a police report, she left the home after a 20-minute interview, then returned when he texted her to say that he wanted to pay her for her time. Stubblefield is alleged to picked her up and taken her to his room, forced the woman to “orally copulate him,” then given her $80 and let her go.
In prepared remarks Tuesday, the 1997 AP NFL defensive player of the year referred to the description of the woman as mentally disabled, noting that the Special Olympics have been among the numerous charities with which he has been involved. “That is why these allegations hurt me so badly,” Stubblefield said, adding that, on his attorney’s advice, he would not take any questions.
Stubblefield’s attorneys portrayed the woman as being mentally competent. One of them, Kenneth Rosenfeld, said that she has been charged with several crimes, including assault, indicating that local prosecutors have found her fit to appear in court.
Another member of the defense team, Gary Winuk, said that the woman has filed two lawsuits in which she represented herself and has a California driver’s license. “She had a clear capacity to make decisions,” Winuk said (via the Associated Press).
Rosenfeld claimed that the woman texted Stubblefield 18 times on the day of the 2015 incident and four more times in the days afterwards. The attorney said that, in 10 of those texts, she asked for money, and that the ex-player gave her “a small amount” to help pay for repairs on her car.
“This is a money grab,” Rosenfeld said.
The attorneys said that Stubblefield was informed of the charges two months ago and has been “cooperating fully” with authorities. Police arrested him Monday in front of his children’s school after he had dropped them off.
“We remain focused on the case. We will present evidence in a court of law, after which we expect Mr. Stubblefield will be held accountable for his crimes,” Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Tim McInerny said in a prepared statement (via the AP).
Rosenfeld said on Monday (via NBC Bay Area) that his client had taken an independent lie detector test, the results of which were provided to Santa Clara authorities and which “clearly show the encounter was consensual.” TMZ Sports reported Tuesday that Stubblefield’s wife of nearly seven years filed for divorce in February, seeking full custody of their two children and spousal support.
(c) 2016, The Washington Post ยท Des Bieler
