Ex-Gopher convicted in sex case

MINNEAPOLIS, April 11 (UPI) -- Former standout Minnesota Gophers cornerback Dominic Jones was convicted Friday of sexually assaulting a young woman who was drunk to the point of passing out.

The Hennepin County, Minn., jury, which started its deliberations Wednesday, found Jones not guilty of rape, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reported. Jones, who could be sent to prison for a maximum of four years, is free on bail until his sentencing on May 29.

His attorney said he will appeal the verdict.

Along with its verdict, the jury determined Jones had treated his teenage victim in a "particularly demeaning and humiliating manner."

Jones, 21, who contended the woman consented to the encounter, was convicted on a fourth-degree sexual assault charge that involved him masturbating on his victim at another former Gopher football player's apartment on April 4, 2007. He was not convicted on a third-degree count that accused him of sexual penetration.

Part of the assault was captured on a cell phone video.

The victim allegedly had engaged in a vodka-drinking contest with another former Gopher before Jones arrived and had sex with three other ex-Gophers earlier in the evening. None of them have been charged in the case, however.