NORTHAMPTON — Prosecutors are appealing a judge’s decision to vacate the 2019 rape conviction of a former University of Massachusetts football player and grant him a new trial.

Kareem Patrick Kwegor Amara, 26, was convicted of three counts of rape in 2019 stemming from an incident with a classmate in a bathroom at a party in Hadley in 2016. Judge Mark Mason sentenced Amara to five years in prison, to be followed by three years of probation.

However, in May of last year, Mason granted Amara’s request for a new trial due to ineffective counsel. The matter concerned a report containing testimony that could have been used to undermine Amara’s accuser’s credibility, which Amara’s attorney at the time, John Drake, said he never read.

The prosecution has appealed Mason’s ruling and is awaiting a decision from the Appeals Court. Oral arguments have already taken place.

“We disagree with the court’s decision to overturn the defendant’s conviction and grant a new trial, and therefore pursued an appeal (to) the State Appeals Court,” said Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Suhl, who prosecuted the case. “We maintain the trial was fair and the jury’s verdict just. We look forward to the Appeals Court decision, expected in the very near future.”

Amara was released from prison in December and has since secured tryouts with two Canadian Football League teams. He also has formed a home care LLC since his release and is pursuing a master’s degree from Tufts in public policy and diversity studies while living with a friend in Boston.

“I’m sure all parties would like this to be over,” Amara said earlier this month.

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