Former Vanderbilt player Brandon Vandenburg received a 17-year prison sentence on Wednesday after he was convicted of rape in June.
Vandenburg was convicted of five counts of aggravated rape, in addition to other felonies, stemming from a 2013 incident in which he encouraged teammates to rape an unconscious woman he was dating at the time. He also recorded video of the events, on which he can be heard “giving instructions, encouraging, and [...] laughing,” prosecutors said.
According to Jezebel.com, Vanderburg’s lawyers argued he was drunk at the time of the rapes, and thus should not be held responsible.