A former University of Michigan football player accused of sexually assaulting a woman in a Pittsfield Township apartment was sentenced to probation, court records show.
James Whitley, 30, was ordered to serve one year of probation, undergo anger management counseling and complete 100 hours of community service.
Last month, he pleaded no contest to one count of aggravated assault, a misdemeanor, just before his trial on more serious sexual assault charges was to begin.
A no contest plea is not an admission of guilt, but is treated as such at sentencing. Prosecutors dismissed the rape and habitual offender charges as part of the deal.
Whitley, a former Michigan cornerback, was arrested in July after a 31-year-old woman reported he sexually assaulted her in a friend’s apartment.
The woman said she went to sleep on an air mattress in the apartment and awoke while Whitley was sexually assaulting her.
Investigators said alcohol use by all parties involved was a major factor in the incident.
Whitley was living in Ann Arbor at the time but now resides in Georgia. His probation isn't permitted to transfer to Georgia, and he was ordered to report to local probation officers by phone, court officials said.
The Norfolk, Va., native was a team co-captain before his dismissal for carrying a concealed gun in Ann Arbor in 2000.
In that case, he was sentenced to one year of probation and 20 hours of community service after pleading guilty to the charge, court records show.
Art Aisner is a freelance writer for AnnArbor.com. Reach the news desk at news@annarbor.com or 734-623-2530.
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