The sentence was mild compared to what Blunt could have faced if the jury had also found him guilty last week of the involuntary manslaughter of fellow student Neil Davis Jr.
During the sentencing, the judge made it clear that Davis' death was a tragedy that will not end with the trial.
Blunt says he deeply regrets Davis' death but does not regret his own actions November 22, 1998.
"I feel very relieved," Blunt told WRAL Tuesday morning. "I believe the jury did a great job and listened carefully to everything that happened over the course of the week. They came out with the decision that they felt was just and right, and my condolences go out to the Davis family."
Blunt's family has been a constant source of support for him during the trial.
"I really can't say enough for my family, my mom and dad, our good friend Jennifer, everyone else in my family, my friends. I've really found out who my real friends are."
Family members say that support will continue. Dorothy Blunt says her family will "stay the way we have been, the only way we know how to be: bonded, strong, together. That'll never change."
Blunt, 20, will not face any time in jail. Instead, he faces 30 months of supervised probation and 250 hours of community service. One hundred hours of the community service will be spent talking to schoolchildren about guns, violence and alcohol.
Blunt will also pay more than $13,000 in restitution to the victim's family.
Blunt says he hopes to go back to N.C. State in January, and he hopes to wrestle again. He says his dream is to compete in the Olympics.
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