Don Wright / Associated Press
Jarryd Hayne, a former rugby player and running back for the San Francisco 49ers, faces up to 14 years in prison after being convicted of sexual assault.
By TMZ Sports, Hayne was found guilty by a jury in Sydney, Australia, on two counts of non-consenting sexual intercourse stemming from a 2018 assault.
TMZ previously noted that he was arrested in November 2018 after a woman said she was injured after he sexually assaulted her in September.
He was formally charged with aggravated intercourse without consent, as well as two counts of intercourse without consent.
By TMZ, Hayne was found not guilty of aggravated sexual intercourse without consent. His sentencing hearing will take place on May 6 with a maximum possible sentence of 14 years.
Hayne denied any wrongdoing during the case and issued an out-of-court statement following the guilty verdict.
“I prefer to go to jail knowing that I spoke the truth than to be a free man who lives a lie,” he said, via TMZ. “It is unfortunate, it is disappointing. But at the end of the day, they decided. I respect that.”
The 33-year-old man was previously accused of sexual assault by a woman in California during his time with the 49ers. She claimed that he assaulted her after she passed out from drinking too much. Prosecutors did not have enough evidence to open criminal charges against Hayne, but the woman filed a civil suit that he decided in 2020.
Hayne started his professional career as a rugby player in 2006, when he was 18 years old. In 2014, he announced his intention to pursue a career in the NFL.
After training in front of teams in December 2014, Hayne signed a three-year contract with the 49ers four months later. He appeared in eight games during the 2015 season before retiring from the NFL in 2016.