Nebraska's Mickey Joseph arrested on suspicion of domestic assault

Mickey Joseph, who served as Nebraska’s interim head coach for the majority of the 2022 season, was arrested on Wednesday.

Joseph was arrested Wednesday afternoon for suspicion of strangulation and third-degree domestic assault, the Lincoln Police Department said. Officers responded to a domestic disturbance at a Lincoln residence just before 2 p.m. Wednesday. Joseph was taken into custody and lodged at the Lancaster County Jail, police said.

As a result of the arrest, Joseph has been placed on administrative leave by Nebraska.

“I was made aware of the charges against Coach Joseph and given the nature of the allegations and based on university police he has been placed on administrative leave,” Nebraska athletic director Trev Alberts said. “We will have no additional comment at this time.”

Woman says Mickey Joseph strangled her during argument

Per the Associated Press, Joseph made an initial court appearance on Thursday via video from the Lancaster County Jail. His bond was reportedly set at $20,000 and he was ordered to not have contact with the alleged victim.

Joseph reportedly did not enter a plea and his next court hearing is scheduled for Jan. 30.

In a police affidavit filed Thursday, Joseph's alleged victim claimed she and Joseph were arguing when the coach pushed her onto a couch and placed her hands around his throat. She said he proceeded to strangle her until she pushed him off.

The woman said she then went into the kitchen, but Joseph allegedly grabbed her hair from behind and pulled her backward, then struck her left temple with a closed fit as she fell to the floor. She also said Joseph grabbed her phone and tried to flush it down a toilet.

Police reportedly said the woman had visible redness and swelling around her left eye, with several strands of hair on her pants. They also found the phone inside a container of rice in the kitchen, a common attempt to dry a phone after it has been immersed in water.

A relative of the woman reportedly claimed he saw Joseph with his hands around her throat and pushing her onto the couch.

Joseph reportedly left the home before police arrived and was found at another location.

Mickey Joseph's future with Nebraska was already unclear

Joseph, 54, is a Nebraska alum who was elevated to interim head coach after the firing of Scott Frost on Sept. 11. The Huskers went 3-6 under Joseph, capped off by a road upset over Iowa last Friday.

Nebraska has since hired Matt Rhule as its new head coach. Joseph's contract after he became interim head coach said he would return to his role as wide receivers coach and associate head coach if he was not officially promoted to head coach. It’s unclear if Joseph planned to be a part of Rhule’s new staff with the Huskers or if he wanted to pursue other opportunities.

Joseph played quarterback at Nebraska under Tom Osborne from 1988 to 1991 before beginning his coaching career. Among his many stops was a stint as the wide receivers coach for LSU during its run to the national championship in 2019.