Rutgers has officially dismissed quarterback Philip Nelson, who recently transferred to the school from Minnesota, after Nelson was arrested and charged with assault on Sunday. "The Rutgers football family's thoughts and prayers are with Isaac Kolstad and his family," Scarlet Knights coach Kyle Flood said in a statement.
Rutgers QB Philip Nelson dismissed after ugly assault charges
The former Minnesota quarterback was charged with two counts of felony assault on Monday, and his alleged victim reportedly remains in critical condition.
Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
The details of the incident are grisly. The altercation began when, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Nelson was out at the bars in his hometown of Mankato, Minn., with his girlfriend.
According to the criminal complaint, there were several versions of what happened at the intersection of Cherry and Front streets about 2 a.m. Sunday.
But the dispute seemed to start when a bouncer at the Blue Bricks bar kissed Nelson’s girlfriend’s hand, prompting him to get irate and possibly confuse (alleged victim Isaac) Kolstad for the bouncer when they were later out on the street.
Security footage allegedly showed that Kolstad punched Nelson and knocked him to the ground, while an unidentified man punched Kolstad in the head, immediately turning his body limp. While Kolstad was defenseless, Nelson allegedly kicked him in the side of the head. A witness in the police report said he Nelson kicked Kolstad’s head, “like it was a soccer ball — just out of nowhere.”
Kolstad suffered severe brain trauma and might not survive. According to CBS, his family left a statement on the caringbridge.org.
“He is currently in critical condition and fighting for his life,” Blaine Kolstad, Isaac’s father, wrote on caringbridge.org Sunday night. “He is young and strong, but the battle he has in front of him is enormous. ... We do know that his brain did sustain permanent damage. We do not yet know to what extent and won’t for many days. He is very sick. Please pray for Isaac and all of those involved.”
Nelson was formally charged with first-degree assault, causing “great bodily harm,” and third-degree assault. The former carries a maximum of 20 years in prison, while the latter carries a maximum of five years. Both are felonies in Minnesota.
Nelson was released on $20,000 bail on Monday to return to Rutgers for school.
This is the latest in a long line of unfortunate incidents for Rutgers athletics, though the school is clearly not responsible for Nelson’s alleged actions.
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