diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/web/SortHandlerMethodArgumentResolver.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/web/SortHandlerMethodArgumentResolver.java
index e9361e83a..7b9d5e9b8 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/web/SortHandlerMethodArgumentResolver.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/web/SortHandlerMethodArgumentResolver.java
@@ -243,7 +243,7 @@ public class SortHandlerMethodArgumentResolver implements HandlerMethodArgumentR
 			}
 
 			String[] elements = part.split(delimiter);
-			Direction direction = Direction.fromStringOrNull(elements[elements.length - 1]);
+			Direction direction = elements.length == 0 ? null : Direction.fromStringOrNull(elements[elements.length - 1]);
 
 			for (int i = 0; i < elements.length; i++) {
 
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/web/SortHandlerMethodArgumentResolverUnitTests.java b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/web/SortHandlerMethodArgumentResolverUnitTests.java
index 0d5dab5e7..7699bcf26 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/web/SortHandlerMethodArgumentResolverUnitTests.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/web/SortHandlerMethodArgumentResolverUnitTests.java
@@ -186,6 +186,18 @@ public class SortHandlerMethodArgumentResolverUnitTests extends SortDefaultUnitT
 		assertThat(resolveSort(request, PARAMETER), is(new Sort(DESC, "property")));
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * @see DATACMNS-379
+	 */
+	@Test
+	public void parsesCommaParameterForSort() throws Exception {
+
+		MockHttpServletRequest request = new MockHttpServletRequest();
+		request.addParameter("sort", ",");
+
+		assertThat(resolveSort(request, PARAMETER), is(nullValue()));
+	}
+
 	private static Sort resolveSort(HttpServletRequest request, MethodParameter parameter) throws Exception {
 
 		SortHandlerMethodArgumentResolver resolver = new SortHandlerMethodArgumentResolver();