Baylor athletic department official charged in post-game assault
Baylor Associate Athletic Director Heath Nielsen was arrested earlier this month on a misdemeanor assault warrant after he reportedly grabbed a sportswriter by the throat and pushed them away from a football player on Nov. 5, according to KWTX of Waco, Texas.
The photographer had received permission from a football player to take a photograph before the alleged assault occurred, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.
Nielsen said that the photographer was “abusing his privileges.” The injuries were photographed by police.
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Stadium cameras recorded the incident. Nielsen, who has worked at Baylor for 17 years, was charged with assault with bodily injury, a Class A misdemeanor.
On Tuesday, Nielsen’s attorney, who is also representing former Bears player Shawn Oakman in his sexual assault case, said that Nielsen intervened to stop someone from doing an “unauthorized interview on a student-athlete on the field” and saying that the victim’s account of events was untrue and one-sided.
