Tight end prospect Tyler Higbee intends to plead not guilty to charges that arose out of an altercation over the weekend that left a 24-year-old man in serious condition, the lawyer for the Western Kentucky University product told USA TODAY Sports on Tuesday.
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Higbee, 23, allegedly struck Nawaf Alsaleh, who was knocked unconscious after hitting his head on the ground.
One of the more athletic and promising tight ends of the 2016 NFL Draft, Western Kentucky’s Tyler Higbee, was arrested early Sunday morning for second-degree assault, public intoxication and evading police, according to Warren County Regional Jail records. Alsaleh was taken to the hospital where he was a diagnosed with a concussion and brain hemorrhage, according to the police report obtained by the Daily News.
He was booked at 2:41 a.m. and subsequently released from custody at 3:15 p.m. Sunday. One witness reported a white male “saying racial slurs” towards the victim, who Higbee himself described as “an individual of Middle Eastern descent”. The fact that Higbee tried to hide from police and initially denied involvement in the incident does not imply innocence.
“This is a very unfortunate situation that we hope to resolve promptly”, Higbee’s attorney, Brian Lowder said in a statement.
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“Higbee was measured at 6’6” and weighed 249 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine, per his NFL.com draft profile.
