MSU football player Cole Corey's sentencing for pleading guilty to a single count of possession of a controlled substance has been adjourned until May 18.
The sentencing was supposed to come down Thursday morning in the Lenawee County Circuit Court, but was adjourned to allow Corey and his attorney to argue some factors that could affect his sentence.
"We're challenging some of the allegations in the presentencing report," said David Goldstein, Corey's attorney. The specific allegation they will challenge is that Corey committed criminal sexual conduct, he said.
On Feb. 9, Corey, a redshirt sophomore who is listed on the spring depth chart as the starting bandit, pleaded guilty to a single felony charge that carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. As part of the plea, 12 other felony counts were dismissed, including five counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct.
Although all five criminal sexual conduct charges were dropped, they are still important in the sentencing stage because the court can consider them, along with other behavior, in determining Corey's sentence, Goldstein said.
The hearing on the criminal sexual conduct allegations and the actual sentencing should both happen on May 18, he said.
Corey also must testify against former Tecumseh High School track coach Matthew Peterson as part of the plea. Peterson faces 32 charges, including 10 misdemeanor counts of furnishing alcohol to a minor.
Charges for both Corey and Peterson stem from alleged offenses, which occurred at a party at Peterson's home in 2002 while Corey was a student and an all-state football player at Tecumseh High School. He also competed in track and field.
John Lewandowski, MSU sports information director and director of communications, could not be reached Thursday for comment.
After Corey pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance in February, Lewandowski said the football team would wait until sentencing to make any decision on Corey's future with the team.
Corey appeared in 11 games for the Spartans in 2005, recording six tackles and returning a kick on special teams. He also earned Academic All-Big Ten honors as a freshman in 2004.
