Bail reduced for ex-Pats player

WRENTHAM, Mass.—Bail for a former NFL lineman and high school football coach charged with raping a 15-year-old female student has been reduced to $7,500.

Kevin Bowe, a spokesman for the Norfolk district attorney’s office, said a judge in Wrentham District Court on Wednesday reduced Daniel Villa’s bail from $100,000. But Bowe said the 44-year-old Villa will remain in custody pending the installation of a GPS monitoring system. His next court date is Jan. 7.

Villa played six seasons for the New England Patriots during a 12-year NFL career and was coach at Walpole High School. He pleaded not guilty Tuesday to charges including three counts of rape of a child over 14.

The Boston Herald reports that Villa’s wife of 18 years has filed for divorce and custody of their four children.