Homepage / Phoenix News
E-Mail News Alerts
Get breaking news and daily headlines.
Browse all e-mail newsletters
Related To Story


| More


Ex-Cardinal Sharpe Gets Prison Time

Former NFL Star Sentenced To 6 Years In Drug Case

POSTED: 2:07 pm MST May 9, 2008
UPDATED: 7:10 am MST May 11, 2008

Former Arizona Cardinal Luis Sharpe has been sentenced to six years in prison and four months probation after pleading guilty to drug possession charges, the Maricopa County attorney said on Friday.

Sharpe was arrested on Feb. 19 when police said they found crack cocaine in his car. He was pulled over shortly after midnight near 32nd Street and Broadway Road after police clocked him going 40 mph in a 25 mph zone, according to court paperwork.

The officer discovered Sharpe was driving on a suspended license and placed him under arrest, the paperwork shows.

A subsequent search of Sharpe's vehicle turned up a rock of crack cocaine in a baggie under the driver's seat, according to the paperwork.

Sharpe pleaded guilty to two counts of possession or use of narcotic drugs, one count of possession of drug paraphernalia and one count of possession or use of narcotic drugs.

Before the February arrest, Sharpe's last run-in with the law was in November, when the manager of an adult bookstore in central Phoenix complained that he had seen Sharpe smoking crack cocaine.

Sharpe's arrest history dates back to 1995, when officers arrested him on suspicion of sexual assault and resisting arrest. He has since been arrested numerous times on drug charges, including in 2004 when he was sentenced to two and a-half years in state prison.

In 2000, authorities considered deporting Sharpe to his native Cuba after he finished serving a sentence on drug charges at the state prison in Perryville. He was allowed to remain in the U.S. after he vowed to clean up his life.

In a pre-sentence report, Sharpe admitted that he first started using cocaine when he was a 21-year-old rookie in the NFL and it was "the worst mistake I ever made."

Sharpe played in the National Football league for 13 seasons before a leg injury forced him to retire in 1994. He was the Cardinals' first-round draft pick in 1982 and became a three-time Pro Bowl offensive lineman for the Cardinals.

His daughter, Leah, was murdered in Phoenix last June.

SLIDESHOW: Web Site Names Top 10 'Hells On Earth' SLIDESHOW: Get The Skinny On Celebrity Weight SLIDESHOW: 60s And 70s Rockers Then And Now SLIDESHOW: FHM's 2008 World's Sexiest Women SLIDESHOW: Reader-Submitted Tattoo Photos SLIDESHOW: Red-Hot Redheaded Celebrity Women SLIDESHOW: Here Are 10 Crazy Excuses For Being Late

  • ELSEWHERE ON KPHO.COM: A giant desert tortoise that wandered into a west Valley man's yard Saturday afternoon could be stolen and a search for the owner is under way. CLICK HERE for details.
  • MORE SLIDESHOWS: From the bizarre to the tragic to late-breaking news, visit the KPHO.com slideshow section and click away! CLICK HERE for images.

  • Links We Like

    Sponsored Content
    Check out our picks for the most luxurious and unique homes that were on the market in 2009. More

    Find out what a sputtering economy and an increasingly difficult to crack job market means to you. More

    Believing urban legends about sex could be hurting your sex life. Get the truth behind common sex myths. More

    As the centerpiece of any estate plan, a will is very important. Make sure you keep yours updated with these 10 tips. More

    Sponsored Links

    Consumer Info


    Sponsored Content Provided by ARA