Jarryd Hayne, former Australian rugby star and NFL player, convicted of rape in third trial
The allegations against Hayne came five years ago
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Jarryd Hayne, a former Australian National Rugby League star who briefly played for the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL, was convicted of raping a woman in her home north of Sydney in 2018 on Tuesday.
It was the third trial Hayne faced in the case.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fiji's Jarryd Hayne runs the ball during the Rugby League World Cup semifinal match against the Kangaroos at Suncorp Stadium on Nov. 24, 2017 in Brisbane, Australia. (Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
Hayne’s first trial ended with a hung jury in December 2020 and, in 2021, he was sentenced to five years and nine months in prison when he was convicted of the charges then.
However, a three-judge panel in New South Wales state Court of Criminal Appeal last year upheld some grounds of Hayne’s appeal and he was granted bail and ordered to stand trial for a third time.
Hayne has vowed to appeal the latest verdict.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Jarryd Hayne enters court on March 15, 2023, in Sydney, Australia. (Don Arnold/Getty Images)
"I never lied to the police. I never deleted evidence. I never hid witnesses," he said after the trial, via Yahoo Sport, adding that he was "100%" innocent.
Hayne faced similar allegations in 2017. A woman sued him in Santa Clara County, California, court and claimed he had nonconsensual sex with her in December 2015. Prosecutors didn’t proceed with criminal charges due to lack of evidence, according to the San Jose Mercury News at the time. The woman reportedly contacted police in May 2016 – around the same time Hayne left the NFL.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Jarryd Hayne of the San Francisco 49ers during the Baltimore Ravens game at Levi's Stadium on Oct. 18, 2015, in Santa Clara, California. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
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The 35-year-old played in more than 200 games for the Parramatta Eels of Australia’s NRL. He appeared in eight games with the 49ers in 2015, recording a grand total of 52 rushing yards.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.