NFL star Kellen Winslow Jr. accused of rape. / ABC 10
The father and wife of Kellen Winslow Jr. insist he is innocent of the sexual assault, misconduct, kidnapping and burglary charges against him.
'On behalf of our son and my husband, we want to reiterate our love, support and affection for him during this difficult process,' the 34-year-old's father, ProFootball Hall of Famer Kellen Winslow Sr., and wife Janelle said in a joint statement on Friday.
'We will always be there for him and we know the true facts will come out.'
Winslow Jr., and wife Janelle arrive at the 2008 ESPY Awards in Los Angeles. Photo / Getty
Winslow Jr. pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of kidnapping, rape and other charges on Friday, related to alleged assaults against at least five women, spanning in age from 54 to 86 years old and taking place between March and June.
No bail has been set for the former NFL athlete, whose next appearance in the case will be a preliminary hearing scheduled for June 25 in San Diego County Superior Court.
Winslow Jr. was arrested for the second time in one week in San Diego County on Thursday and charged with a number of felonies, including rape, sodomy, burglary, indecent exposure, and kidnapping.
A police complaint, obtained by The San Diego Union Tribune showed that Winslow Jr. is accused of preying on older women, two of whom he allegedly picked up while they were hitchhiking before taking them to remote areas to rape them.
One of those victims, age 54, was allegedly kidnapped and raped on March 17, with San Diego County Deputy District Attorney Dan Owens saying that Winslow Jr. 'told her if she screamed, he would murder her.'
Winslow Jr. is also accused of kidnapping, raping and sodomizing a 59-year-old woman in May, exposing himself to a 55-year-old woman while she was gardening in her front yard in May, and two counts of burglary with the intent to rape in June, of both a 71-year-old and 86-year-old woman.
It was the alleged attack against the 86-year-old woman that led to Winslow Jr. being taken into custody on June 7 on suspicion of burglarizing her home at the Park Encinitas Mobile Home Park located in Encinitas, California.
A neighbor told authorities that she spotted Winslow Jr. shortly after 2.30pm Pacific that day, emerging from her elderly neighbor's mobile home, with no shirt on, when she confronted him.
Winslow Jr. told her, 'I'm just looking for my dog,' the neighbor said.
'I go, "What dog?" and he said, "A red dog, Clifford," and I went, "There's no dog here,"' she said.
The retired player was reported to have fled the scene in a black SUV before deputies located him near the park and took him into custody.
Winslow Jr. said at the time that his arrest was due to racial profiling.
He was first charged related to that alleged assault with first-degree burglary and was released after posting $50,000 bail, but was taken into custody again this Thursday as a result of the new sexual assault charges.
The former Cleveland Brown tight end was taken to the Vista Detention Facility, a jail located in San Diego County, on Thursday according to TMZ.
Winslow Jr.'s attorney, Brian Watkins, denied that his client perpetrated these attacks on older women.
'Of course not,' Watkins told the New York Post when asked if the allegations were accurate. 'He didn't do these things.'
Kellen Winslow #81 of the New York Jets in 2013. Photo / Getty
If convicted of all the charges, the former Pro Bowler could face life imprisonment.
Winslow Jr. grew up in San Diego before attending the University of Miami and getting drafted sixth overall by the Cleveland Browns in the 2004 NFL Draft.
He played 10 seasons for five teams, and had his best year in 2007 when he finished with 1,106 receiving yards and was named to the AFC Pro Bowl team.
Winslow Jr. was also charged with drug possession in January 2014 but received a conditional discharge after being accused of having synthetic marijuana.
His father, Winslow Sr. famously played under coach Don Coryell and with quarterback Dan Fouts for the San Diego Chargers.
