Darren Sharper's Ex-GF -- He Was A Perfect Gentleman ... I Never Saw Anything Suspicious

Darren Sharper's ex-girlfriend -- a woman who dated the ex-NFLer for nearly a year -- tells TMZ Sports she was "completely shocked" by the rape allegations ... saying, "It's the opposite of the guy I knew."

The woman, who asked not to be named in this post, told us Sharper was not a booze-obsessed, drink-spiking maniac during their time together.

In fact, the woman says, "He didn't want me to drink. Never offered me drugs. He was really concerned with how I was around him."

"I've seen him help people. We went to a charity event together. He was egotistical, but the guy that I know is not like [the way he's been described in police reports]."

The woman tells us she found it "weird" when she heard about the allegations against Sharper in 5 states because "most women who would ask me about him would drop their drawers for him in a second."

Sharper's ex says Darren did some research on her before they started dating -- trying to get as much info on her as possible -- but only to make sure she wasn't a "crazy girl."