LANSING – Former Michigan State football player Auston Robertson is headed to prison.

Robertson was sentenced to 43 months to 10 years by Ingham County Circuit Court Judge Clinton Canady III on Wednesday morning as part of a Cobbs agreement. That followed a plea deal reached on Nov. 7 in which he pleaded guilty to criminal sexual conduct, assault with intent to commit sexual penetration. In exchange, two charges of third-degree criminal sexual conduct, punishable by up to 15 years, were dropped.

Criminal sexual conduct, assault with intent to commit sexual penetration, is a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Robertson, who was previously accused of sexual assault, must register as a sex offender and will be credited for 247 days already served.

“Hopefully Mr. Robertson can be rehabilitated,” Canady said, “but a dangerous pattern has been established here.”

Robertson, 21, was accused of raping a woman in Meridian Township in April 2017. The victim was present in court Wednesday morning and, in an impact statement read by Ingham County assistant prosecuting attorney Nicole Matusko, said she was “beyond relieved that this has come to an end.”

In the statement, the victim said she had considered Robertson a friend and one who would look out for her, but her experience at Michigan State and entire life haven’t been the same since she was assaulted. She described panic attacks, a dark cloud over her life and the need to stop blaming herself.

“You put yourself in this situation,” she wrote of Robertson. “You ruined your life.”

Handcuffed and wearing a dark blue jumpsuit, Robertson spoke briefly on Wednesday.

“I would like to apologize to the victim for making her feel this way,” he said, “and apologize to my family for bringing them through this.”

Matusko said the plea agreement holds Robertson accountable and he “is clearly a threat to the community and has been for some time.” She also said questions about whether the victim was raped or suggestions she consented to sex and then regretted it were false.

“I want it to be clear today that this rape happened, that this was never consent,” Matusko said, “and that it was not her decisions that brought us to this point.”

Roberston was sentenced after a Cobbs plea, which allows for defendants to enter a guilty plea in a case that can later be withdrawn if a judge’s sentence falls outside the terms put forth by the judge before a defendant entered the plea.

Robertson’s attorney, Brent Leder, said his client has made poor choices but believes he’s “good-hearted” and will not appear in a courtroom again. Leder said Robertson had a difficult upbringing and was blessed with athletic abilities that brought him to Michigan State.

“And it may have been those athletic talents that provided a false sense of security or his feeling or invincibility or whatever it was,” Leder said. “But, there’s no excuse for Mr. Robertson’s behavior and he understands that.”

A former four-star defensive end prospect from Wayne High School in Fort Wayne, Ind., Robertson was a member of Michigan State's 2016 recruiting class. His signing with the Spartans was delayed due to legal problems as he was accused of inappropriately touching a high school classmate and entered a diversionary program before arriving at Michigan State.

Robertson appeared in seven games for Michigan State as a true freshman in 2016, was suspended from the football team during the start of a criminal investigation and dismissed on April 21, 2017 when charges were announced.

"Due to the charges he was facing during his recruitment, we took precaution in allowing Auston to be a part of our football program, including a thorough vetting, which we acknowledged publicly at his signing," Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio said in a statement in April 2017. "This was a multiple-step process that continued through his final admission in the summer."

During a circuit court motion hearing in May, two previous sexual assault accusations against Robertson – including an alleged rape in 2014 – and a portion of a third, were approved to be admitted into evidence.

"MSU Athletics was not aware of any previous sexual assault complaints against Auston Robertson, outside of the 2015 misdemeanor battery charge that had previously been reported," Michigan State said in a statement in May. "Robertson was dismissed from the football team in 2017, and is no longer associated with MSU."

While Robertson was on bond, Canady gave him permission to attend and play football at Garden City Community College in Kansas. He was arrested there in April for suspicion of aggravated robbery armed with a dangerous weapon, conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery, distribution of marijuana and interference with law enforcement and that resulted in his bond being revoked in Ingham County. Robertson was sentenced to 36 months of probation, which won’t begin until after time served in Michigan, and faces up to 49 months in prison in Kansas if he violates conditions.

Robertson was one of four members of Michigan State’s 2016 signing class who were dismissed from the program in 2017 after being charged with sexual assault. Josh King, Donnie Corley and Demetric Vance were sentenced to probation in June after accepting plea deals.