Former 49ers star Dana Stubblefield found guilty of rape in 2015 in Morgan Hill

Former San Francisco 49ers star Dana Stubblefield was found guilty Monday of raping a prospective babysitter five years ago in his Morgan Hill home, capping a years-long courtroom saga in which attorneys sparred over the mental capacity of the victim and how that may have factored into the encounter.

A jury of eight men and four women rendered a verdict that Stubblefield raped and forced oral copulation on the woman — identified as Jane Doe at trial — on April 9, 2015. The jurors also found Stubblefield used a gun during the sexual assault, which significantly increases his potential sentence, which stands at a maximum of 15 years to life in prison.

However, the jury rejected two corresponding felony charges that Stubblefield exploited a woman who was mentally incapable of providing consent to sex — which was among the most egregious allegations made against him when the case was filed in 2016.

Lead prosecutor Tim McInerny argued from the beginning of the case that Doe was developmentally disabled and was overpowered and overwhelmed by the much larger Stubblefield, who used his physical stature and celebrity to perpetrate the assault.

Stubblefield, 49, began his 11-career in the NFL with the 49ers in 1993 as the league’s defensive rookie of the year, and later won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors in 1997 before leaving the team to play for Washington. He returned to the Bay Area to finish his career, playing with the 49ers in 2000-01 and the Raiders in 2003.