CNN
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A California appeals court has overturned the rape conviction of former San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Dana Stubblefield on grounds of racial bias and declared it “invalid.”

On Thursday, Santa Clara County’s Sixth District Court of Appeal overturned the former NFL star’s conviction and prison sentence, saying prosecutors’ statements during the trial constituted “racially discriminatory statements about Stubblefield’s race” and violated the California Racial Justice Act 2020, which makes it illegal to obtain a conviction “on the basis of race, ethnicity, or national origin.”

In 2020, Stubblefield was sentenced to 15 to 15 years to life in prison after a jury found him guilty of forcible rape with a firearm, forcible oral copulation and false imprisonment after prosecutors alleged he lured a mentally disabled woman came to his house in April 2015 with the promise of a babysitting job.

During the trial, prosecutors alleged that Stubblefield threatened the woman with a gun. In his closing argument, made eight weeks after the killing of George Floyd by then-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, a prosecutor said police did not search Stubblefield’s home after the woman reported the incident, which was partly due to The fact that he was a famous black man caused “a storm of controversy,” according to a court filing.

After the 2020 conviction, Allen Sawyer, one of Stubblefield’s trial lawyers, told CNN he “strongly believes” his client is innocent.

In its Thursday opinion overturning the conviction, the appeals court wrote: “The statement implied that the house could have been searched and a weapon found if Stubblefield had not been black, and that Stubblefield therefore had an undeserved advantage at trial.” achieved because he was a black man.”

“Second, the claim that a search would ‘spark a storm of controversy’ implicitly referenced the events following the recent killing of George Floyd, appealed to racially biased perceptions of those events, and linked Stubblefield to them based on his race,” it said added.

CNN has reached out to the California Attorney General’s Office for comment.

In a statement to CNN, Stubblefield’s attorney Joseph Doyle said: “We are all extremely grateful for the court’s decision and what it means for Mr. Stubblefield and his family.” This reversal is a significant development for those in the legal system with potential face racial prejudice, and the Court’s thorough and thoughtful opinion demonstrates its commitment to addressing these complex issues. The opinion also sets a strong precedent for future cases.

“Unfortunately for Mr. Stubblefield, the racial undertones in the case were just one of many problems with his sentencing. There was also an enormous amount of evidence excluded from Mr Stubblefield’s trial which would have fundamentally changed the prosecution’s narrative. But we look forward to righting this wrong when we return to court.”

In an interview with the Bay Area News Group on Thursday, Sawyer said: “We are over the moon. We knew from the day we left that courtroom when the jury came back that this wasn’t over and that this wouldn’t stand.”

Sawyer also told the news outlet: “The context of this case was unfair in many ways, but we are happy and can’t wait to release Dana from custody. “We expect that to happen soon.”

The Santa Clara County District Attorney will decide whether to pursue a retrial, but there is no timetable for a decision. When CNN reached out for comment, the district attorney’s office said it was “reviewing the report.”

The now 54-year-old was a first-round draft pick for the 49ers in 1993, where he spent a total of seven years over two terms, while he spent three years with the then Washington Redskins. He ended his career after spending one season with the Oakland Raiders in 2003 and retired due to injury shortly after being signed by the New England Patriots in 2004.

He won the 1997 NFL Defensive Player of the Year award, made three All-Pro and Pro Bowl teams, and won a Super Bowl ring with the 49ers in Super Bowl XXIX.