Rutgers QB charged after bar fight; victim may not survive: Report

Rutgers quarterback Philip Nelson — a transfer from Minnesota — who spent the weekend cooling his heels in a jail cell was finally released after making bail.

Nelson, who left the police station with a towel covering his head, is charged with one count of first degree assault and one count of third-degree assault in connection with a bar fight that left 24-year-old Isaac Kolstad in critical condition.

The 20-year-old appeared in Blue Earth County (Minn.) court Monday wearing an orange jail jumpsuit, with his hands cuffed and his ankles chained. First-degree assault carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

That's if his victim survives.

While Nelson was in court Monday, Kolstad was in the Mayo Clinic in Mankato, Minn. struggling to stay alive.

According to the complaint filed Monday afternoon, a neurosurgeon with the hospital said Kolstad was suffering from “a severe head injury and a severe pulmonary injury,” and he’s not sure if the victim will survive.

Kolstad has a wife and a child with another on the way.

See 9 pics of Isaac Kolstad, who is fighting for his life: http://t.co/JzGmJdwzou #22strong #prayforisaac pic.twitter.com/Y1dv5y6M47
— EveryJoe (@everyjoedotcom) May 12, 2014

A police sergeant who viewed surveillance video described Kolstad — who played at Minnesota State — as striking Nelson in the back, then moving away and being pursued and struck by an unidentified man, who fled the scene.

Witnesses described Nelson as being upset over attention being paid to his girlfriend. 

“Nelson pushes past others, approaches I.K. [Kolstad] and delivers at least one kick to the left side of I.K.’s head. Sergeant Knutson noted the video clearly shows that I.K. was defenseless as Nelson delivers the kick or kicks to the head,’’ the complaint reads. Witnesses said words had been exchanged between Nelson and Kolstad, with video showing Kolstad hitting Nelson on the back, causing him to fall into another person.

Witnesses said the two had a “heated exchange.” The statement of probable cause said witnesses notified police Kolstad was lying on the ground near Blue Bricks bar. Nelson was arrested at 2 a.m. but his lawyer, Jim Fleming, said he “was not an aggressor in this situation” and added he wasn’t sure who caused Kolstad’s injuries.

Nelson participated in spring practice at Rutgers and would have to sit out next season — the Scarlet Knights’ first in the Big Ten — as a transfer, and would have had two more years of eligibility. But all that seems up in the air now.

Rutgers officials had no comment.

Here's surveilance footage of the incident:

Rutgers QB Philip Nelson beat football player into 'critical condition' during fight: Report

A Rutgers University quarterback — who transferred from the University of Minnesota — was arrested on Sunday morning for allegedly assaulting a former Minnesota State-Mankato player who is now in critical condition. 

Philip Nelson was arrested "on suspicion of third-degree assault and underage consumption of alcohol" in Mankato, according to TwinCities.com.

The 20-year-old Nelson was arrested on suspicion of assaulting Isaac Kolstad, a 24-year-old married football player at Minnesota State-Mankato. He is the father of a 3-year-old daughter and Kolstad's wife is expecting the family's second child.

Kolstad is listed in critical condition at the Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato.

Kolstad's family posted on his CaringBridge.org page that he suffered permanent brain damage and was "fighting for his life."

Police found Kolstad at an intersection at around 2 a.m. on Sunday. Nelson was arrested shortly after and booked into the Blue Earth County Jail. He is expected to be arraigned early this week.

Nelson could face charges for third-degree assault, which is a felony in Minnesota. A third-degree assault indicates the perpetrator inflicted "substantial bodily harm." Nelson was also charged with underage consumption of alcohol.

"We are in the process of gathering information on the situation and reserve comment until the legal process is complete," Rutgers athletic department spokesman Jason Baum said in a statement.

Nelson transferred to Rutgers after starting 16 games in two seasons at Minnesota. He participated in spring practice, but is scheduled to sit out next season due to NCAA transfer rules. He has two years of eligibility remaining beginning in 2015.

Nelson and Kolstad are both Mankato natives. Authorities are reportedly seeking another suspect in the assault.