University of Nebraska running back Mekhi Nelson was arrested on Monday, June 29, after an alleged altercation with his pregnant girlfriend, according to arrest records viewed by Us Weekly. TMZ Sports was first to report the news.
Nelson, 20, was booked on a misdemeanor battery charge after police responded to an alleged altercation at the Blue Flamingo Resort in Key West on Monday morning. He was charged with aggravated battery involving a pregnant woman and released on $5,000 bond.
“The Nebraska Athletic Department and football program are aware of the arrest of Mekhi Nelson in Florida. We have no further comment at this time,” the school said in a statement to KOLN.
When authorities arrived at the scene, a woman — who said she was seven months pregnant with her second baby with Nelson — claimed she and Nelson began arguing after the football player grew angry over how long it was taking her to get ready.
She said she locked him out of the room, but opened the door when he began physically banging on it. She claimed she became concerned the incident would affect their stay at the resort, according to a police report obtained by TMZ.
She then alleged that Nelson’s anger continued to escalate and he threw her phone across the room when she attempted to call her mother. The woman then accused the athlete of ripping her bathing suit top and bottom off of her and scratching her stomach. She also allegedly had a scratch on her thigh and said it was not the first time the two were involved in an “incident.”
Nelson, however, told police a different story. He claimed that the two began arguing over how another man, who shares a child with the woman, was speaking to her and that his anger “seemed to flare up.”
The report claims that Nelson cried on his way to jail, saying he was “just like” his father, who was incarcerated during Nelson’s childhood.
Nelson is a redshirt sophomore for the Cornhuskers and coming off a season in which he recorded 27 carries for 147 yards with two touchdowns. He also had eight receptions for 102 yards and was on track to compete for a starting job.
The highlight of his season came in the Las Vegas Bowl against Utah, where he recorded a 38-yard touchdown in the 44-22 loss.
Nelson is scheduled to be arraigned in a Key West court on July 9 at 9 a.m.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for confidential support. https://www.thehotline.org/
