The 30-day jail sentence, handed down by East Lansing 54-B District Court Judge David L. Jordon, was halfway between the two-month sentence requested by the Ingham County prosecutor and the request for no jail time by White’s attorney, East Lansing-based Kerry Cole.

White, a freshman walk-on football player and track sprinter, pleaded guilty last month to assaulting Sean Lerg, who was visiting friends when a fight broke out at the 130 Center St. house where several hockey players live.

Lerg sustained minor injuries and didn’t wish to press charges. His age is not listed in an East Lansing police report obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, but the report stated he was visiting East Lansing from Livonia.

In his request for a light sentence, Cole said any jail time “seems to be excessive based on the particular facts and circumstances of this case, especially when the victim stated he wasn’t interested in pursuing criminal charges.”

Cole declined to comment on the sentencing after it was handed down.

In his ruling, Jordon cited a previous offense that White committed as a reason for the sentence. He did not elaborate on what the previous offense was, and no record of the offense could be found by The State News.

White was scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 22 — three days after the fight — for the previous offense.

“To me, if there’s ever a time to say, ‘This is the best somebody is going to be,’ this is about it,” Jordon said of the days before White’s sentencing in October. “Yet, this is the worst. This is unacceptable behavior.”

According to the police report, several witnesses stated that prior to the fight, which took place at about 1:45 a.m., White was involved in a small scuffle at 130 Center St. He left the house and later returned with several MSU football players, who witnesses said attacked people at the house, the report stated.

White, who was dressed in a black suit on Monday and had family members in the courtroom, spoke briefly before the sentencing.

“I want to apologize and say I have been learning lessons from this situation and still am,” he said.

Prior to the sentencing, Cole said jail time likely would not be a consideration in the case if MSU athletes hadn’t been involved.

“If this was just a couple kids that weren’t on football teams or weren’t on hockey teams at Michigan State, we probably wouldn’t even be discussing this issue here,” Cole said.

White is scheduled to begin his jail sentence Monday. He will be allowed 30 hours during his sentence for academic-related activities.

Cole said White, who admitted to being drunk at the time of the fight, has undergone a substance abuse assessment and has received treatment for alcohol-related issues.

MSU head football coach Mark Dantonio doesn’t comment on the playing status of athletes, but White didn’t dress during the second half of MSU’s season and didn’t travel with the team to its Jan. 1 bowl game in Florida.

Last week, a second MSU football player, freshman running back Glenn Winston, also pleaded guilty to assault charges related to the same fight.

Winston was suspended indefinitely from football-related activities by Dantonio. His sentencing is scheduled for April 29.