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ASU Hall of Famer Villa arrested on rape charges
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WALPOLE, Mass. - Former New England Patriots player and high school football coach Danny Villa surrendered to police in his native Arizona on Saturday, one day after a court in Massachusetts issued a warrant for his arrest on charges that he raped a child.
Walpole Police Chief Richard Stillman said Villa surrendered to authorities in Tucson and his attorney has indicated that he plans to waive rendition. He faces three counts of rape of a child over 14 and three counts of enticing a minor, he said.
It would take at least a week to process the paperwork for Villa's return to Massachusetts, Stillman said.
The 44-year-old Villa had been working as a football coach at Walpole High School. He resigned Tuesday, hours after the school superintendent confronted him over allegations of criminal misconduct filed by a parent a day earlier.
Villa led one of the most successful high school football programs in the state, capping an undefeated season with a championship earlier this month.
Villa played offensive line in the NFL for 12 seasons, including six with the Patriots and one with the Arizona Cardinals in 1992.
He starred at Arizona State from 1984-86 before being drafted by New England.
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