Former Nebraska football interim head coach Mickey Joseph was arrested on Wednesday on domestic assault charges. The former LSU assistant coach was arrested for suspicion of strangulation and third-degree domestic assault.
Why Was Nebraska Football Coach Mickey Joseph Arrested?
Police went to a Lincoln residence early Wednesday afternoon after a report of a domestic disturbance, and an investigation followed. The 54-year-old coach was arrested at another city location and held at Lancaster Country Jail. The Lincoln Police Department’s call log showed that officers were called to the area on a report someone had “pushed, choked, punched” a victim and “pulled victim’s hair.”
On Wed, Nov 30 @ 1:54pm LPD was dispatched to a home near S 34th & Tree Line Drive on a domestic disturbance. Upon concluding the investigation, Robert ‘Mickey’ Joseph, age 54 of Lincoln, was arrested for Strangulation and 3rd Degree Domestic Assault. He was lodged in jail. pic.twitter.com/aiyzvVi8it
— Lincoln Police (@Lincoln_Police) November 30, 2022
“Upon concluding the investigation, Robert ‘Mickey’ Joseph, age 54 of Lincoln, was arrested at a separate location for Strangulation and 3rd Degree Domestic Assault. He was lodged in the Lancaster County Jail,” an LPD release stated. “To protect the victim in this case and in compliance with Nebraska state law, additional information, including the identity of the victim and any injuries, is not being released.
“While the Lincoln Police Department does not normally provide a news release for a domestic-related arrest, due to the high-profile nature of the person involved and, in an effort, to provide transparency on an arrest involving a public figure, notification of the arrest is being made.”
An arrest affidavit for Mickey Joseph claims:
-Mickey & wife argued over infidelity
-Mickey strangled her on the couch
-Mickey then grabbed her hair, threw her down and punched her in the face
-Mickey tried to flush her phone down the toilet
-Wife's brother was at the house— Jon Kipper (@jonnykip21) December 1, 2022
Who Is Mickey Joseph?
Joseph played quarterback for Nebraska from 1988–1991. He directed the offense as a starter in 1990 and led the Huskers to an 8-0 start and No. 3 ranking, rushing for 1,091 yards and 16 touchdowns. He passed for 909 yards and 14 touchdowns during his collegiate career and returned to his alma mater in December 2021 as an associate head coach following a five-year stint on LSU’s staff as the assistant head coach under Ed Orgeron.
Joseph was the wide receivers coach at LSU under Ed Orgeron from 2017-21, becoming assistant head coach in 2002. Joseph returned as Nebraska’s receivers coach.
Early in his career, the New Orleans native coached at a local private school, Desire Street Academy, from 2005-08. He had a series of jobs as a college assistant, including stops at Nicholls State, Grambling, and Louisiana Tech.
.@Lincoln_Police arrest former Interim Nebraska Football Head Coach Robert "Mickey" Joseph. Joseph was arrested for Strangulation and 3rd Degree Domestic Assault earlier today after being called for a domestic disturbance. pic.twitter.com/2h938hxbOI
— Lincoln Scanner (@LincolnScanner) November 30, 2022
Joseph was promoted to Nebraska’s interim head coach after Scott Frost was fired in September, and his experiences in Nebraska’s trenches go from the field to the sidelines. The Huskers were 3-6 under Joseph and finished the season 4-8.
Coaching runs in the Joseph family, as Mickey’s brother Vance is the current defensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals. Vance Joseph served two seasons as the head coach in Denver and worked with the San Francisco 49ers, Houston Texans, Cincinnati Bengals, and Miami Dolphins.
Mickey Joseph Placed On Administrative Leave
On Monday, former Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule was introduced as the Cornhuskers’ head coach. Nebraska athletics director Trev Alberts had talked with Joseph as a candidate for the permanent head coaching job.
“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,” Alberts said in a statement. “We will have no additional comment at this time.”
Rhule did not announce whether he would retain Joseph on his coaching staff.
