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.

GET READY TO COMPETE

Pick your champion (you can change it later). We’ll email you when brackets open.

No purchase necessary. 50 U.S./D.C. 18+. Entry opens 3PM ET Dec 6, 2026 and closes 8PM ET Dec 18, 2026. Void where prohibited.See for complete details. The College Football Playoff (CFP) is not a sponsor or administrator of this contest.

• CFP Bubble Watch: Field shrinks with one week left in regular season

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.

Add us as a preferred source on Google