Former Gophers football player Dominic JonesâÄô appeal of a fourth-degree sexual assault conviction was denied by the Minnesota Supreme Court, according to a decision released earlier this week. Jones was accused of raping a woman rendered physically helpless after a night of heavy drinking in 2007. The Hennepin County AttorneyâÄôs Office later charged Jones with third- and fourth-degree sexual assault. In April 2008, after a highly publicized trial, a jury found Jones guilty of fourth-degree sexual assault, but acquitted him of the more serious charge. JonesâÄô attorney Earl Gray disputed the conviction immediately. In an interview with the Daily shortly after the sentencing, Gray said Jones was âÄúgiven an unfair trial.âÄù Among other qualms, Gray said the court should have allowed the testimonies of other Gophers players who were present the night of the incident, which a judge denied because of rape shield laws. Jones was sentenced to a four-year prison sentence that would go into effect only if he violated the terms of his probation and one year in the Hennepin County work house. He was released from the work house in March of this year. Jones and Gray filed an appeal in summer 2008. The Court of Appeals upheld the conviction. The state Supreme Court declined to take case, allowing the appellate ruling to stand for the former University of Minnesota football player. In a 2008 interview with the Daily, Gray said Jones had been “released” from the University, but would not be more specific. -The Associated Press contributed to this report.