Houston DL Carmello Brooks Arrested on Charges of Assaulting Pregnant Woman
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Houston Cougars defensive lineman Carmello Brooks was arrested on Thursday and charged with an assault on a pregnant individual, according to Harris Country court records.
The 19-year-old Brooks was arrested by the university police at the Cullen Oaks apartment, which is located on campus.
The 6-foot-3, 275-pound Brooks allegedly caused injury to the victim by picking her up and slamming her on the ground while knowing she was pregnant.
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Brooks is from Katy, Texas, and is a sophomore. He has been suspended, according to latest reports. Brooks was not part of the travel team that went to Lubbock on Thursday for the Friday night game against Texas Tech, given his position on the roster.
Court records, according to ABC13, show that he posted $15,000 bond on Friday and will be due back in court on Sept. 21.
Brooks also has a misdemeanor charge from earlier on Aug. 9 of criminal mischief. The woman who was in this altercation was different from the alleged victim in the assault charge this week. The police did not arrest Brooks in relation to the August verbal altercation until this past week.
"We are aware of an incident involving a Houston Football student-athlete. We take all allegations of this nature very seriously and are gathering more information," Houston Athletics said in a media statement.
Brooks enrolled at UH in January of 2025 and went to Paetow High School, which is just outside Katy and about 35 miles from TDECU Stadium. He was a three-star prospect and ranked the No. 100 defensive lineman nationally according to 247Sports, as well as District 19-6A Defensive MVP as a senior.
Brooks redshirted in 2025 and did not see any action at all. According to team stats, he has participated in one game, which was against Southern on Sept. 12.
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Maanav Gupta is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He graduated from the University of Houston in the summer of 2025 with his bachelor’s in journalism and a minor in Spanish. Gupta spent three years at the student newspaper, The Daily Cougar, and also covered the 2025 Final Four and National Championship as Houston beat writer for College Basketball Review. He also has his own YouTube channel, Maanav’s Sports Talk, where he has interviewed professional athletes and broadcasters like Jim Nantz, Jose Altuve, J.J. Watt, Rich Eisen, and Alperen Sengun. Gupta was also a contributor to the Houston athletic program as a student. You can find Gupta on X, Instagram and TikTok @MGSportsTalk.