According to reports, Texas Christian University (TCU) wide receiver Dozie Ezukanma was hospitalized and suffered a brain bleed after being beaten by fellow player Jacob Fields.
A police arrest warrant reportedly states that on August 13, Fields punched Ezukanma in the face, then kicked him in the head after a team practice, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.
The TCU Police document explains that Fields was upset that Ezukanma had played better than he did during the practice session, and he acted out by assaulting the player in the team locker room.
Witnesses allegedly told police that Ezukanma was sitting in the school’s Walsh Athletic Complex and looking at his phone when Fields walked up and abruptly punched the seated player in the head. Then, once Ezukanma fell to the floor, they said Fields kicked the man in the head.
Ezukanma told officials that he became unconscious after the attack. He also said that he has no memory of the attack and had to ask others “what just happened” when he came to.
The police also claimed that Fields later texted Ezukanma admitting that he “made an emotional decision cause how I felt I played the last few practices.” He also reportedly added, “I’ll pay every hospital bill and then some to make this right.”
TCU sophomore wide receiver Terry Shelton told police that he thinks Ezukanma was unconscious before he even hit the floor and that he saw Fields kick the fallen player in the head as hard as he could. He added that he pulled Fields away from the unconscious victim.
After coming to, Ezukanma told a team doctor that he had a headache and ringing in his ears. Almost two hours after the attack, assistant athletic trainer Curtis Talley Jr. drove Ezukanma to the emergency room at Harris Hospital in downtown Fort Worth.
Medical personnel at Harris performed a CT scan on the injured player and discovered he had a brain bleed, whereupon he was admitted to the ICU for observation. He was given blood pressure and pain control medications to try to help reduce the hematoma. He was ultimately listed in stable condition by 11 p.m., nine and a half hours after being attacked.
Fields, who refused to talk to the police, was arrested and booked into the Tarrant County Jail on Sunday morning, Aug. 30. He was released several hours later on a $50,000 bond.
School officials dismissed Fields from the team on August 15, two days after the assault.
The 21-year-old player faces a charge of aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury.
Fields’ agent, Phillip Miller, posted a statement on social media saying that they won’t be issuing any “explosive” statements on the incident.
“I understand the media and public may be looking for an explosive statement from Jacob or me. Now is not the time or the place. We will not try this case through social media or the court of public opinion. There is a proper place for the facts to be heard, and we will respect that process,” the agent wrote.
“My athletes and I understand the difference between right and wrong. We believe in drawing a hard line, standing up for yourself, and standing for something — because if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything,” the statement continued.
“I stand with Jacob, and I will not waver,” the message said, before ending with a Bible quote, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
Fields was expected to be a top player for TCU this season after he transferred to the school from Louisiana Tech, where he was voted Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year.
Ezukanma is also expected to be a major contributor to the team, but due to an injury, he was not able to play in TCU’s season-opening loss to North Carolina.
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