Facing two years to life in prison, former Denver Broncos cornerback Perrish Cox walked out of the Douglas County courthouse on Friday morning breathing a sigh of relief after being found not guilty of two felony sexual-assault charges.

He said he felt “great,” and then let out a heavy sigh after leaving the courtroom. “I’m grateful for all of my supporters.”

“It’s been a long, tough two years,” Cox said Friday afternoon. “I’ve got my life back. I just want to put it all behind me.”

The six-man, six-woman jury reached its decision after less than six hours of deliberation. The group left the courthouse through a back passage and did not talk to reporters.

Cox’s accuser cried out when the verdicts were read, then was ushered out by family and friends. “Why did this happen to me?” she cried.

The courtroom drama capped a weeklong trial that left many wondering how the prosecution could have lost the case — many except Cox’s attorney, Harvey Steinberg.

“We always felt there were substantial holes in the prosecution’s case,” Steinberg said outside the courthouse.

Steinberg said Cox, who was released by the Broncos before the season began last fall, was “scared to death” about what could have happened in the jury room.

While it didn’t have much evidence, prosecutors had DNA that matched Cox to the pregnancy the woman would later abort. And tests placed the date of impregnation to the time of the alleged rape, Labor Day weekend 2010.

In interviews with police, Cox repeatedly denied having sex with the woman. He did not take the stand, either, to say that the sex was consensual.

“I do not remember another sexual-assault case when the defense does not choose between consent and ‘It didn’t happen’ — instead leaving the jury wondering about both,” said Denver criminal attorney Dan Recht, who was not part of the case.

In his closing statement, Steinberg acknowledged that Cox was a liar but also said he was not a rapist.

“He wasn’t accused of lying. He was being accused of rape,” said Denver criminal attorney Jay Tiftickjian, who was not a part of the Cox case. “DNA doesn’t prove everything.”

Inconsistent testimony from Cox’s former girlfriend, Carthy Che, also worked against the prosecution.

Che was partying with Cox, the alleged victim and Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas the night and early morning of the reported sexual assault.

The four went to Cox’s Lone Tree apartment. Cox and Che went into a bedroom, and the alleged victim and Thomas fooled around on an air mattress in the living room, where the woman fell asleep or passed out. Thomas testified that he left the apartment soon after.

The alleged victim said she believed she was then sexually assaulted.

At one point during her testimony, the jury asked Che through the judge whether she was currently under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

She replied she was not. But she had testified earlier that a night out on the town that included consuming 10 to 15 drinks was not uncommon for her.

Then there was testimony about a text message from Cox’s then-roommate, Cassius Vaughn-also a Broncos player — to Thomas after the alleged assault.

In the message, Vaughn said that by leaving Cox’s apartment early that morning, Thomas had missed some “girl-on-girl action” between the alleged victim and Che, casting further doubt on the woman’s claims of sexual assault.

According to courtroom testimony, when the accuser showed police a series of text messages from Thomas, she had deleted those relating to alleged sexual contact with Che.

Vaughn was on the witness list, but the prosecution did not to call him to testify.

After the verdict, prosecutor Chris Gallo said that DNA was only one element of the case.

“Obviously, we believed in this case,” Gallo said. “But the jury took their time, and we really appreciate it.”

Attorney Craig Silverman, who represents the alleged victim, issued a statement Friday afternoon condemning Cox and the former teammates who were involved.

“My client knows she did the right thing by reporting what happened,” Silverman wrote. “Unfortunately, outrageous statements about her conduct and character were made that could have easily been disproven.

“She does not want other sexual-assault victims to be discouraged from coming forward,” Silverman said.

Denver Post columnist Mike Klis contributed to this report.

Carlos Illescas: 303-954-1175 or cillescas@denverpost.com