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Former Denver Broncos player Perrish Cox found not guilty of sexual assault

Perrish Cox
Denver Broncos rookie cornerback Perrish Cox on Aug. 10, 2010 AP Photo/Jack Dempsey, File

(CBS/AP) CASTLE ROCK, Colo. - A Colorado jury acquitted former Denver Broncos cornerback Perrish Cox of sexual assault charges. The jury returned the verdict Friday morning. The alleged victim responded with an audible sigh and a cry. As she was leaving the courtroom, she said: "Oh my God, what's happening?"

Pictures: NFL Athletes in trouble with the law

Outside the courthouse, Cox expressed appreciation for his attorney and others who supported him during the trial.

Cox was accused of sexually assaulting a woman in September 2010 after a night of partying. The woman became pregnant and prosecutors said DNA tests indicated Cox was the father.

The woman testified that she believed she was drugged because she remembers little about what happened that night. Cox's lawyer disputed the DNA test results and suggested they may have been contaminated.

Cox could have faced two years to life in prison.

More on Crimesider
March 2, 2012 - Jury deliberates in former Denver Bronco Perrish Cox's sex assault trial


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