WINSLOW SENTENCED

Kellen Winslow II receives 14-year prison sentence for his 2019 convictions on rape and other charges.

Calling former NFL player Kellen Winslow II “a sexual predator,” a Vista judge on Wednesday sentenced the namesake son of the Chargers’ legend to 14 years in prison for his 2019 convictions for rape and other crimes involving sexual misconduct.

Winslow — once a first-round

NFL draft pick and later the highest paid tight-end in the league — must also register as a sex offender for life.

Winslow’s sentence was expected, reached as part of a plea deal that followed some convictions at trial, followed later by guilty pleas to other charges.

In court Wednesday, Superior Court Judge Blaine Bowman, who presided over the trial, dismissed statements from Winslow’s attorney that Winslow’s behavior could have stemmed from repeated head trauma sustained from years of football, noting that one of the incidents happened before the defendant’s pro career.

“That leaves us with someone who can only be described in two words — and that is a sexual predator,” Bowman said before sentencing Winslow. “That’s what Kellen Winslow II is. He’s a sexual predator. He preys on vulnerable victims and is very brazen in the way he carries out his crimes.”

The hearing was held via video, as has been common in light of COVID-19 safety requirements during the pandemic. Winslow, who has been in custody for two years, participated from a county jail in Otay Mesa.

The 37-year-old declined to make a statement, citing his attorney’s advice.

“In the future, I do plan to tell my story,” Winslow told Bowman.

Winslow grew up in San Diego and attended Patrick Henry and Scripps Ranch high schools before attending and playing football at the University of Miami. The sixth overall draft pick in 2004, he played in the NFL for 10 seasons, until 2013. He reportedly earned more than $40 million over his NFL career.

Defense attorney Marc Carlos spoke during Wednesday’s hearing of