Former Gophers football player Dominic Jones will be sentenced Thursday for fourth-degree sexual assault.

Jones was accused of raping a “physically helpless” woman in April 2007. On April 11, 2008, jurors found Jones not guilty of third-degree sexual assault, but guilty of fourth-degree.

The recommended sentence in Minnesota for fourth-degree sexual assault for a first-time offender is a suspended prison sentence of 24 months, University law professor Richard Frase said.

Jones will likely face three to four years of probation, Frase said. If Jones were to violate the terms of his probation, the prison sentence would be carried out.

It’s possible for the judge to tack on sexual behavior counseling and jail time as additional conditions of Jones’ probation, Frase said.

“Sometimes courts will do that just to sort of provide a little symbolic, hard punishment,” Frase said about issuing jail time.

If Jones had been found guilty of third-degree sexual assault, his recommended sentence would have been 48 months in prison, Frase said.

“It would be not only twice as long, but the recommendation would be to carry it out rather than suspend it,” he said.

–Andy Mannix is a senior staff reporter.