After the plea deal was approved, one of the prosecutors handling the case, Hilary LaBorde, issued a statement defending it, saying the case was not as simple as it appeared, and that if it had gone to trial, there was a real possibility that Mr. Anderson would have been acquitted.

“Conflicting evidence and statements exist in this case, making the original allegation difficult to prove beyond a reasonable doubt,” Ms. LaBorde’s statement said, according to The Star-Telegram. “As a prosecutor, my goal is no more victims. I believe that is best accomplished when there is a consequence rather than an acquittal. This offender is now on felony probation and will receive sex offender treatment, a result which was not guaranteed, nor likely, had we gone to trial.”

“Given the claims made publicly, I understand why people are upset,” Ms. LaBorde wrote. “However, all of the facts must be considered, and there are many facts that the public does not have.”

By pleading no contest instead of pleading guilty, Mr. Anderson did not have to explicitly admit to the facts behind even the lesser charge of unlawful restraint. Jim Dunnam, a lawyer representing the woman in her lawsuit, said he did not believe that would hurt her civil claims against Mr. Anderson and the fraternity.

Because the adjudication of Mr. Anderson’s case was deferred, his plea will never show up on his record if he successfully completes probation.

Judge Strother did not return a call seeking comment. On Monday, he noted how much interest the case had generated and criticized information about it circulating on social media, saying most of it was “not fully informed, misinformed or totally uninformed,” according to The Waco Tribune-Herald.

The newspaper said Mr. Anderson was expelled from Baylor after a university investigation, but that he is expected to graduate soon from the University of Texas at Dallas, and that he works for a real estate development company there.