Ex-NFL TE Kellen Winslow II Pleads Guilty to Rape and Sexual Battery in Retrial

Former NFL player Kellen Winslow II pleaded guilty to charges of rape and sexual battery during a retrial Monday, per the Associated Press (via NBC San Diego). 

Winslow was convicted of rape and misdemeanor charges of indecent exposure and lewd conduct in June, but jurors were deadlocked on eight other counts, which required a retrial.

The plea deal lessens the maximum sentence from life in prison to 18 years, with the judge requiring at least 12 years behind bars.

"I pray to God for 12 years, so I can return to my family," Winslow said Monday.

Sentencing will take place on Feb. 19.

The allegations of rape date back to 2003 with a woman who was 17 years old at the time. Two women also testified that he raped them in 2018.

He was also charged with kidnapping, forcible sodomy and forced oral sex, among others, but all of those charges were dismissed Monday.

The 36-year-old was a first-round draft pick in 2004 and spent 10 years in the NFL, earning a Pro Bowl selection in 2007 with the Cleveland Browns. He last appeared in a game in 2013 with the New York Jets.

Winslow's father was also a tight end in the NFL and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1995.