TCU wide receiver Dozie Ezukanma was hospitalized for three days in mid-August after an alleged assault by former teammate Jacob Fields, according to a signed arrest warrant affidavit obtained by WFAA's Paul Livengood and Katy Barber.
Fields turned himself in and was arrested on a charge of aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury Sunday. Witnesses told police that Fields punched an unsuspecting Ezukanma in the head at TCU's training facility Aug. 13 and then kicked him in the head once he was on the ground, according to the affidavit. Ezukanma was transported to an emergency room and then admitted to the ICU after testing detected a brain bleed, the document said.
One player told police that he believed Ezukanma was knocked out before he hit the floor and that he saw Fields "pull his leg back and kick the victim in the head as hard as he could."
Ezukanma told police he thought Fields hit him because he was "playing better than (Fields) at practice the day before" and that they'd "been going hard at each other since the start of camp," per the affidavit.
Ezukanma also provided text messages that Fields purportedly sent him after the incident. Fields allegedly wrote "I made an emotional decision cause how I felt (I) played the last few practices" and "I'll pay every hospital bill and then some to make this right," per the affidavit.
Fields was dismissed from the team two days after the incident due to "a violation of team rules," a team spokesperson told WFAA. Fields was able to post a $50,000 bond Sunday, according to Tarrant County Jail records.
Ezukanma did not travel with TCU for its season opener in Ireland against North Carolina on Saturday.
