Austin Peay football player Nigel Brannon arrested for assaulting teammate

Austin Peay State University defensive lineman Nigel Brannon has been suspended from the football team indefinitely after he was arrested by Clarksville (Tenn.) police in an alleged assault of another player, as previously reported by the Leaf-Chronicle.

According to the court affidavit, Nigel Brannon was holding a knife to the throat of a fellow player and held him against his will. The incident took place at an apartment complex on University Avenue around 7 p.m on Thursday, July 22.

Brannon was charged with aggravated assault and aggravated kidnapping.

Austin Peay athletics director Gerald Harrison previously announced that Brannon will be suspended from the team while the investigation continues.

Brannon had told police he was upset because he believed his missing key was in the other player’s room, according to the affidavit. He admitted to standing in the hallway, which blocked the other player from leaving and stopping him from running out the front door.

The affidavit stated that Brannon had originally followed the other player, his roommate, into his room to look for his key. Instead, Brannon stood in the doorway and would not allow the other player to leave the room and even pulled a knife, threatening him.

While blocking the door, the affidavit states Brannon cut the other football player on the neck after a struggle and later cut him deeply on the wrist. The other football player, a sophomore, was able to escape out of the room but the cut on his throat required stitches.

Brannon transferred to Austin Peay earlier this year, after two seasons at Memphis. He had two tackles in nine games in 2020 and entered the transfer portal in late December after playing in 23 games over two seasons.

Coming out of high school, Brannon was a three-star offensive line prospect from John Marshall in Oklahoma City. He was one of the Tigers’ highest rated recruits in their 2018 class.