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Dana stubblefield says he plans to fight his rape conviction – saying the COVID pandemic ruined his shot in a fair trial and that he is now considering appealing.
As previously reported, the former NFL player was convicted of forcible rape, forcible oral lovemaking and false imprisonment following a 2015 incident at his northern California home.
Officials say Stubblefield had attracted the victim at her home under the guise of interviewing for a babysitting job – then sexually assaulted her.
The victim – aged 31 at the time – has developmental disabilities, prosecutors say.
Stubblefield has denied the allegations for years – and despite the conviction, his lawyer Allen Sawyer tell TMZ Sports the former football star will continue to fight.
“He’s going to fight to get his name cleared. He’s innocent. He believes in the justice system,” Sawyer says.
“He is not happy with the current situation but he will continue to fight.”
Currently, Stubblefield is facing 15 years to life in prison. He is due to return to court for conviction later this year.
But, Stubblefield’s attorney tells us the lawsuit was “littered with errors” – and he hopes to win his appeal.
First, Sawyer says the COVID pandemic has caused MONTHS of delays – which made the trial run almost 9 months from start to finish.
“After they halted the jury trial for months, we called for the trial to be quashed because how was the jury supposed to remember the testimony of a witness from 7 or 8 months ago when they had had a 2-month break and other breaks? “
Sawyer explains … “They started the trial and then the pandemic hit. We already had a jury, the government was able to present a lot of evidence and then they stopped the trial for 2 months because of the pandemic.”
When the trial resumed, Sawyer said jurors were anxious and distracted by possible COVID exposures, resulting in more delays.
“Then they started letting the witnesses testify from a distance, we were not allowed to sit next to our client. We have continuously requested that the trial be canceled because it was not a fair environment due to the COVID circumstances.
But, Stubblefield’s requests to quash a trial were denied and he was ultimately convicted.
Sawyer says there were several other MAJOR flaws in the way the trial was conducted – but he will explain them in his appeal documents.
Meanwhile, Stubblefield remains behind bars and continues to argue that the sexual encounter was consensual.
