Details of Nebraska’s Mickey Joseph’s alleged strangulation, domestic assault charges revealed

Mickey Joseph put his hands around a woman’s throat, pulled her hair and punched her, according to a police affidavit filed Thursday.

Joseph, Nebraska’s interim head coach for nine games this year, was arrested on Wednesday on charges of strangulation and third-degree domestic assault charges, police said.

The woman said she and Joseph were in an argument when Joseph pushed her, causing her to fall onto a couch. That was when Joseph put his hands around her throat, the woman claimed.

“He pushed me on the couch and strangled me,” she said, according to the affidavit, adding that she was unable to breathe until she pushed him off.

Joseph also allegedly grabbed her hair and pulled her backward when she went into the kitchen, and police said she had visible redness and swelling around her left eye. Several hair strands – which she says were her’s – were found on her pants. The woman also said that Joseph attempted to flush her phone down the toilet – it was in rice when police arrived.

The Cornhuskers hired Matt Rhule to be their head coach – when Joseph was given the interim job after they fired Scott Frost, they restructured his contract, so he could revert to his original role as associate head coach – he has not exercised or declined that option yet. He is, though, on administrative leave. He is under contract through Dec. 31, 2023 with a $600,000 salary, but his contract could be terminated if he is fired for cause.

Joseph’s bond was set at $200,000, appearing in court via video from the Lancaster County Jail. His next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 30, and he has been ordered to not have contact with the alleged victim.

Joseph was taken into custody after officers responded to a domestic disturbance at around 2 p.m. local time, the Lincoln Police Department said in a statement on social media.

After officers concluded their investigation, police said he was arrested on the charges.

MICKEY JOSEPH, NEBRASKA’S INTERIM COACH BEFORE MATT RHULE HIRE, ARRESTED IN DOMESTIC CASE

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

The 54 year old was originally hired by the school as the wide receivers coach, associate head coach and passing game coordinator, but was tagged as the interim head coach on Sept. 11 after Frost’s firing.

Joseph was a quarterback for the Cornhuskers for 32 games between 1988 and 1991, but he struggled on the stat sheet and was unable to stay healthy for most of his tenure at the school. 

Nebraska went 3-6 while Joseph was the head coach.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.