TCU wide receiver Dozie Ezukanma was in the hospital for three days with injuries including a brain bleed and a concussion after teammate Jacob Fields punched and kicked him in the head, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.
Fields was allegedly unhappy about Ezukanma playing better than him in practice before the assault inside the football team’s locker room that led to Fields’ dismissal and arrest, a TCU police officer wrote in the affidavit obtained by the Star-Telegram.
Ezukanma was sitting in the locker room inside the Walsh Athletic Complex at 2900 Stadium St. on Aug. 13 and looking at his phone when Fields walked up and hit Ezukanma in the forehead with his closed fist, causing him to fall to the floor, a witness told police. Fields then kicked Ezukanma in the head, the witness said.
During an interview with the TCU Police Department on Aug. 20, after he was released from the hospital, Ezukanma reported that he was unconscious after the assault. He remembers sitting in the training room asking people, “What just happened.” That is when sophomore wide receiver Terry Shelton told him that Fields punched him in the head then kicked him when he was on the ground, according to the affidavit. Ezukanma told police that he was knocked out and does not remember what happened.
Ezukanma stated that he had a terrible headache and a police sergeant noted in the affidavit that he had skin abrasions on his face where he struck the floor, and he reported having shoulder pain. Ezukanma believed Fields hit him because he was playing better in practice the day before and said that they had been “going hard” at each other since the start of camp.
In a text message sent to Ezukanma and shared with TCU police, Fields wrote, “I made an emotional decision cause how I felt I played the last few practices.” He also wrote, “I’ll pay every hospital bill and then some to make this right.”
During an interview with TCU police, Shelton confirmed that he saw Fields punch Ezukanma. Shelton believed Ezukanma was “knocked out” before hitting the floor. Shelton then saw Fields pull his leg back and kick Ezukanma in the head “as hard as he could,” the affidavit reads.
Shelton told police that he then pushed Fields into the lockers and said, “You can’t be doing that. We are teammates.” Other teammates came over after hearing the commotion. Sophomore wide receiver Jacobe Hayes lifted Ezukanma’s legs up to make sure he was OK, the affidavit states.
Curtis Talley Jr., assistant athletic trainer for the football team, told TCU police that he was in the training room when he heard Shelton yelling his name, saying, “We need you over here.” Ezukanma had his face covered and was crying from the pain. According to Talley, Ezukanma had a concussion.
Talley kept asking Ezukanma where he was hurting, and he replied, “My head hurts.” Talley said that Shelton told him the suspect hit the victim in the back of his head, according to the affidavit.
During his initial visit with the team doctor in the Schollmaier Arena, the doctor highlighted the need to take a CT scan to make sure he didn’t have a brain bleed. Talley then drove Ezukanma to the emergency room at Harris Hospital in downtown Fort Worth after he reported that his ears were ringing, according to the affidavit.
The assault occurred about 1:30 p.m., according to the affidavit. Talley drove Ezukanma to the hospital about 3:12 p.m. after seeing the team doctor.
At the hospital, Ezukanma was given an urgent CT scan and the ER doctor read the results stating it was a brain bleed, according to the affidavit. He was then transferred to the ICU, where he received a second CT scan about 7:30 p.m. The results indicated the hematoma had grown, so he was given blood pressure and pain control medications. Ezukanma was said to be in a stable condition after a third CT scan was conducted about 11 p.m., Talley told police.
When asked by police if a brain bleed is life-threatening, Talley said, “Yes, if it continues to grow in size,” the affidavit reads. Ezukanma was admitted to the hospital on Aug. 13 and was released on Aug. 16. His injuries also included a strained AC joint in his shoulder, the affidavit states.
TCU police contacted Fields on Aug. 21, and he declined an interview and told police to contact his attorney, according to the affidavit.
Fields was booked into the Tarrant County Jail on Sunday morning, Aug. 30, and released that afternoon on $50,000 bond.
TCU reported the assault to campus police Aug. 14, and Fields was dismissed from the team Aug. 15, a TCU athletics spokesperson confirmed.
The team announced Fields’ dismissal Aug. 18.
In a now-deleted Instagram video, Ezukanma said that Fields hit him from behind in the locker room.
“How you gon’ sucker punch me, bro. That’s your teammate,” Ezukanma said.
On Sunday, Fields’ agent, Phillip “Red” Miller of PM3 Sports, said Fields voluntarily turned himself in and offered a statement on Fields’ behalf.
“I understand the media and public may be looking for an explosive statement from Jacob or me,” he said. “Now is not the time or the place. We will not try this case through social media or the court of public opinion. There is a proper place for the facts to be heard, and we will respect that process.”
Fields was expected to be a major contributor for TCU this season after transferring in from Louisiana Tech. He was voted Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year last season and had the inside track to start at free safety to replace Bud Clark.
Ezukanma, a former standout at Keller Timber Creek, entered the season projected to be one of the starting outside wide receivers. He did not play in TCU’s season-opening 15-10 loss to North Carolina in Dublin.
TCU beat reporter Steven Johnson contributed to this story.
This story was originally published August 31, 2026 at 4:36 PM.
Shambhavi Rimal
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Shambhavi covers crime, law enforcement and other breaking news in Fort Worth and Tarrant County. She graduated from the University of North Texas and previously covered a variety of general assignment topics in West Texas. She grew up in Nepal.