ved from a second back procedure.T | Forum

NEW ORLEANS -- NFL star Darren Sharper filed a federal court notice Friday that he now plans to appeal his conviction and nearly two-decade sentence in a drug and sexual assault case -- a case in which he pleaded guilty. Andrei Vasilevskiy Jersey .Sharper pleaded guilty or no-contest in four states where he faced allegations that he drugged and raped women. Charged in both state and federal jurisdictions, he had entered a so-called global plea deal in early 2015 that called for a roughly nine-year sentence.But U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo in New Orleans rejected what she said was a too lenient sentence and last week imposed an 18-year, four-month prison term -- just shy of the 20-year maximum she said was called for in sentencing guidelines.A Louisiana state judge on Thursday added a 20-year sentence to run at the same time.The grounds for his appeal were not spelled out in Fridays one-paragraph filing and it was unclear what the defense teams next move would be in state court in Louisiana or other states. A defense attorney did not immediately respond to a call for comment Friday afternoon and the state appeal court in New Orleans was closed.Donald Chick Foret, a New Orleans attorney with experience in the federal court system said the appeal following a plea bargain and sentence is unusual.Hes got very experienced and sophisticated lawyers who have extensive experience with these types of complex criminal matters and if an appeal was filed, they must think that they have an issue for review, Foret added.Sharper pleaded guilty to criminal charges in Arizona and was immediately sentenced to nine years. He pleaded guilty in Nevada and no-contest in California and is awaiting formal sentencing. All of the charges arose from allegations that he drugged and raped women. Criminal charges named nine victims but Milazzo said during court proceedings that there are allegations of as many as 16 victims -- a factor state Judge Karen Herman reiterated in sentencing Sharper to 20 years Thursday.Sharper apologized to victims and their families after two victims gave tearful and sometimes angry impact statements in court this week.After retiring from a 14-year career in 2011, Sharper was working as an NFL network analyst when women began telling police in several cities similar stories of blacking out while drinking with him and waking up groggy to find they had been sexually abused.Sharper played in two Super Bowls, one with the Packers as a rookie and one with New Orleans Saints when they won in 2010. Yanni Gourde Jersey . Defenceman Yannick Weber scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period and the Canucks breathed a sigh of relief with a 2-1 win on Saturday night. Ryan McDonagh Jersey . Peter Holland and Brad Staubitz were sent to Toronto on Saturday as the Maple Leafs traded defenceman Jesse Blacker and draft picks to the Anaheim Ducks. http://www.lightninghockeystore.us/Victor-Hedman-Jersey/ . In Europe, top teams seem to be largely happy with their squads after spending nearly $1 billion in the off-season. And although English league clubs are unlikely to splash cash in January, Arsenal and Chelsea could be tempted to strengthen their squads with new strikers. Tiger Woods is on track to make his competitive return to golf in two weeks at the Hero World Challenge, having had time to practice and prepare recently after he aborted his expected return last month at the Safeway Open in California.Woods agent, Mark Steinberg, told ESPN on Tuesday that Woods is getting after it a bit more, continuing to work toward that goal and excited to get back out there and compete, see the guys and be in the locker room instead of being an assistant captain, as the golfer was during the U.S. Ryder Cup victory.The decision to withdraw from the Safeway event in October -- where Woods had intended to return, committed on the Friday prior and then changed his mind three days later -- was never about his determination.The determination is still there, Steinberg told ESPN. Weve still got two weeks to go, but he is doing the things necessary to get himself as ready as he can be, but its going to be 15 months since the last time he played competitively.Woods last tournament was a tie for 10th at the Wyndham Championship in August 2015. Since then, he has had two back procedures and went some six months without swinging a club.His rehabilitation was slow and deliberate, and Woods spent much of this year not publicly committing to any timetable. On Sept. 7, Woods, 40, announced a tentative return date at the Safeway Open, but said just three dayss before that my game is vulnerable and it is not where it needs to be. Martin St. Louis Lightning Jersey. After celebrating the 20th anniversary of his Tiger Woods Foundation and going on a media tour, Woods has been able to get back to work on his golf.Steinberg would not say if Woods is limited in any way -- those are questions hell answer and he can certainly give a better perspective than me; and theyll be more relevant two weeks from now -- but made clear again that his decision to skip the Safeway tournament was not related to any physical problems.The 14-time major champion will be joined at the Dec. 1-4 tournament in the Bahamas by defending champion Bubba Watson, U.S. Open winner Dustin Johnson, Open champion Henrik Stenson?and?PGA winner Jimmy Walker, as well as Jordan Spieth, Zach Johnson, Justin Rose and Matt Kuchar.Woods has won the event five times -- the last time in 2011 when it was played at Sherwood Country Club in California. He did not play in the tournament a year ago as he was just six weeks removed from a second back procedure.The 18-man tournament is considered unofficial on the PGA Tour, but it does award World Ranking points. Not competing for more than a year has taken a toll on Woods ranking: He has dropped to 861st in the world. ' ' '