The gavel dropped hard on Darren Sharper in a New Orleans court on Thursday.

That's where the former Super Bowl champion was sentenced to 18 years in prison for drugging and raping up to 16 women, with notable cases in Arizona, Louisiana, California and Nevada.

According to the Associated Press, that's double the amount of time from the nine years that prosecutors suggested as a prison term under the ex-NFL star's plea deal because Judge Jane Triche Milazzo found nine years to be too light for his egregious acts.

A 15-page statement in that plea deal, as reported by the AP, stated that Sharper or his friend, Brandon Licciardi, drugged women by slipping sedatives or anti-anxiety drugs into their drinks, before raping them. Licciardi reportedly accepted a 17-year sentence.

Although charges around the country include nine victims, Judge Milazzo said as many as 16 women may have been raped.

A five-time Pro Bowler, the safety won the Super Bowl with the New Orleans Saints in 2010, punctuating his 14-year NFL career.

Earlier this year, he was even considered for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but didn't get inducted.

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