By Canadian Press

Rape trial begins for ex-NFL player Kellen Winslow Jr

May 19, 2019 | 11:15 PM

SAN DIEGO — Kellen Winslow Jr., a former NFL No. 1 draft pick and son of a Hall of Famer who starred for his hometown San Diego Chargers, goes on trial Monday on multiple charges, including raping two women last year and the 2003 rape of an unconscious 17-year-old girl.

The 35-year-old who once was the highest-paid tight end in the NFL but saw his career sidetracked by injuries could face life in prison if convicted.

He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges, totalling 12 counts. A total of five women are listed as victims in the complaint that also includes allegations of lewd conduct and indecent exposure.

His attorney, Brian Watkins, said in an email to The Associated Press that “we look forward to vindicating Mr. Winslow.”

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Winslow was initially arrested in 2018 after authorities say they found ties to him and two alleged break-ins at the home of a 71-year-old woman on June 1 and an 86-year-old woman on June 7 in the Pacific beach town of Encinitas, north of San Diego.

After posting bail, he was arrested again on the additional charges of raping two women, a 54-year-old female in March of 2018 and a 59-year-old female in May of 2018. Both women were attacked in Encinitas. He is accused of kidnapping the 54-year-old.

Also in May of 2018, a 57-year-old woman accused Winslow of exposing himself to her. Another woman stepped forward to say she had been attacked by him when she was 17, according to the investigation.

While he was out on $2 million bail, he was arrested for lewd conduct in front of a 77-year-old woman at a gym on two separate occasions in February of this year. He has been jailed since without bail.

Prosecutors say he appeared to target middle-aged and elderly women.

Winslow is the son of Hall of Famer Kellen Winslow.

The former University of Miami star had 469 catches for 5,236 yards and 25 touchdowns in 105 games.

Drafted No. 6 overall by Cleveland, he broke his right leg in his rookie season, then sustained a serious right knee injury in a motorcycle accident that off-season.

From 2004 to 2013, he played for Cleveland, Tampa Bay, New England and the New York Jets.

He was suspended in 2013 with the Jets for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy. That same year, he was arrested after a woman told police she saw him masturbating in a parked car outside of a New Jersey department store. Winslow was arrested for possession of synthetic marijuana, and the charge was dropped after he completed court-ordered terms.

Julie Watson, The Associated Press