Philip Nelson (born September 11, 1993) is an
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
who is a
free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
. Following a successful high school career, Nelson committed to the
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...
. After two seasons as a Golden Gopher, Nelson transferred to Rutgers for a more pass-heavy offensive attack. However, before Nelson started with Rutgers, he committed fifth degree misdemeanor assault by participating in a fight outside of a bar in Mankato, Minnesota on Sunday, May 11, 2014. As a result of his actions he was dismissed from the Rutgers football program following his entering of a guilt plea in which he admitted his actions.
Nelson had two years of eligibility left to play collegiate football when he enrolled at East Carolina as a senior in the hopes of a getting spot on the football team. After spring football training camp, Nelson received the starting quarterback position for the Pirates. In his only season at East Carolina, Nelson posted career numbers for completions, completion percentage, yards, touchdowns, and passer rating. Though the Pirates only went 3–7 with Nelson under center, the team did win a rivalry game against NC State 33–30. Shortly after graduating from East Carolina, Nelson attended the
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West division. They play their home games at IG Fie ...
spring mini-camp but was cut before main training camp. He played for the
San Diego Fleet
The San Diego Fleet was a professional American football franchise based in San Diego, California, and one of the eight members of the Alliance of American Football (AAF). The league began play in February 2019, with the team playing its home game ...
of the
Alliance of American Football (AAF) in 2019, and for the
Dallas Renegades
The Arlington Renegades are a professional American football team based in Arlington, Texas. The team was founded as the Dallas Renegades by Vince McMahon’s Alpha Entertainment and is an owned-and-operated member of the new XFL owned by Dwayn ...
of the
XFL
XFL may refer to:
Sports
* XFL (2001), a defunct American football league that played its only season in 2001
* XFL (2020), a professional American football league
Vehicles
* Bell XFL Airabonita, a 1940 U.S. Navy experimental interceptor aircra ...
and Montreal Allouettes though subsequently released.
Early years
Nelson attended
Mankato West High School
Mankato West High School is a public secondary school located in Mankato, in the U.S. State of Minnesota. According to the school district in 2016, Mankato West enrolls about 1150 students in four grades, grades 9–12. in
Mankato, Minnesota
Mankato ( ) is a city in Blue Earth, Nicollet, and Le Sueur counties in the state of Minnesota. The population was 44,488 according to the 2020 census, making it the 21st-largest city in Minnesota, and the 5th-largest outside of the Minnea ...
. There he was a standout member of the football team, setting several state records on his way to winning the 2011
Minnesota Mr. Football Award. He is the son of Pat and Norma Nelson.
Nelson was scouted by
Football Bowl Subdivision
The NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A, is the highest level of college football in the United States. The FBS consists of the largest schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). As ...
scouts during his junior year in high school. It was originally perceived that Nelson would be a very sought-after recruit during his senior year by numerous
Big Ten
The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...
schools and was highly regarded by recruiting expert
Tom Lemming
Tom Lemming is an American high school football recruiting analyst. Tom Lemming serves as the host of ''The Lemming Report'' on CBS Sports Network, the only national weekly high school football recruiting show. He is the editor of ''The Tom Lemmin ...
. Nelson conducted initial visits to a handful of schools to include
Iowa State,
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
,
Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...
and
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
.
Upon visiting Minnesota in December 2010, Nelson received his first scholarship offer from Minnesota Head Coach
Jerry Kill
Gerald R. Kill (born August 24, 1961) is an American football coach. He is currently the head coach at New Mexico State University. He played college football at Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas from 1979 to 1982. Kill served as the head ...
. Nelson committed to Minnesota on February 19, 2011.
College career
Minnesota
On October 20, 2012, Nelson's redshirt was pulled after struggling starter
MarQueis Gray was injured the week before. Nelson's first game of his collegiate career came against the Wisconsin Badgers. The Gophers lost the game but Nelson passed for two touchdowns and was also the Gophers' leading rusher in the game. Nelson started the final seven games as a true freshman at Minnesota going 2–5 and the Gophers were invited to a bowl game for the first time since 2009. They lost in the
Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas to Texas Tech 34–31 on December 28, 2012.
In Nelson's sophomore season, he endured peaks and valleys as the starting quarterback. He played in 12 games and led the Gophers to a 4–0 record at the beginning of the season. A hamstring injury against Iowa hampered Nelson's ability to be effective against the Hawkeyes. The Gophers lost 23–7. The next week against Michigan, back up quarterback Mitch Leidner took most of the reps but the Gophers were dismantled 42–13. Now on a losing streak and with ailing coach
Jerry Kill
Gerald R. Kill (born August 24, 1961) is an American football coach. He is currently the head coach at New Mexico State University. He played college football at Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas from 1979 to 1982. Kill served as the head ...
watching from a private box, the Gophers hoped to get back on track against Northwestern. Leidner was replaced by a healthy Nelson in the first half of that game and the Gophers hung on for a 20–17 victory. Nelson would start the next four games and lead the Gophers to three signature victories over No. 24 ranked Nebraska, Indiana, and Penn State. The last two games of the season saw Nelson and Leidner split snaps as the team lost to Michigan State and then Syracuse in the Texas Bowl on December 28, 2013.
Rutgers
On January 16, 2014, Nelson announced he was transferring from Minnesota; he would still have two years to play for a new team. On January 29, 2014 Nelson transferred to Rutgers. On May 13, 2014, he was dismissed from Rutgers following assault charges leading to a guilty plea for a fifth degree misdemeanor.
East Carolina
In August 2015, Nelson walked on at
East Carolina after soliciting interest from other teams. After winning the starting quarterback job, Nelson and the Pirates started the season 2–0 with wins against in-state rivals, Western Carolina and NC State. Nelson threw a combined six touchdown passes and ran for one score in those two matchups. However, following a loss with South Carolina the next week, the ECU squad would only win one more game the rest of the season.
After the season came to a close, Nelson was invited to participate in the 2017
NFLPA Collegiate Bowl
The NFLPA Collegiate Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game for NFL draft-eligible college players, held annually in January. The event was founded in 2012 by the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA). Players predom ...
. Nelson was named the National team's MVP as he led his squad on a 14-play scoring drive in the opening series of the game.
Statistics
Professional career
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
In January 2018, Nelson signed with the
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...
's
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West division. They play their home games at IG Fie ...
to compete for the fourth-string backup quarterback position. He was cut from the team in May before training camp.
San Diego Fleet
In the third round of the inaugural
AAF QB Draft, Nelson was picked by the
San Diego Fleet
The San Diego Fleet was a professional American football franchise based in San Diego, California, and one of the eight members of the Alliance of American Football (AAF). The league began play in February 2019, with the team playing its home game ...
with the eighth selection.
Nelson began the
2019 AAF season as the Fleet's second-string quarterback behind
Mike Bercovici. After Bercovici struggled for much of the season opener against the
San Antonio Commanders
The San Antonio Commanders were a professional American football franchise based in San Antonio, Texas, and one of the eight members of the Alliance of American Football (AAF). The league began play in February 2019. The team played their home g ...
, Nelson relieved him late in the game, completing 5 of 10 passes for 68 yards and an interception in the 15–6 loss. Nelson was eventually named the starter for the following week's game against the
Atlanta Legends. In his first start against the
Atlanta Legends, he completed 14 of 30 passes for 142 and an interception as the Fleet won 24–12. The following week's matchup against the Commanders saw Nelson throw an interception on the first play before rebounding with two touchdown passes in a 31–11 San Diego victory. During the fourth game against the
Memphis Express
The Memphis Express was a professional American football franchise based in Memphis, Tennessee. It was a member of the Alliance of American Football (AAF) during its single season in 2019. They played their home games at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stad ...
, Nelson threw a touchdown before exiting in the second quarter with a shoulder injury; he was replaced by
Alex Ross as the Fleet fell 26–23. The injury, later revealed to be a
clavicle fracture
A clavicle fracture, also known as a broken collarbone, is a bone fracture of the clavicle. Symptoms typically include pain at the site of the break and a decreased ability to move the affected arm. Complications can include a collection of air in ...
, sidelined Nelson for the next month, and he was eventually placed on injured reserve. The league ceased operations in April 2019.
Dallas Renegades
Nelson was taken by the
Dallas Renegades
The Arlington Renegades are a professional American football team based in Arlington, Texas. The team was founded as the Dallas Renegades by Vince McMahon’s Alpha Entertainment and is an owned-and-operated member of the new XFL owned by Dwayn ...
with the 52nd pick of the
2020 XFL Draft
The 2020 XFL Draft was the inaugural player selection process to fill the rosters of the eight teams of the 2020 reboot of the XFL. The draft was held on October 15–16, 2019, via conference call, with results released through the XFL's social ...
. Nelson started in a week 1 15–9 loss to the
St. Louis Battlehawks following an injury to starting quarterback
Landry Jones
Matthew Landry Jones (born April 4, 1989) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Oklahoma, and was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth round (115th overall) of the 2013 NFL Draft. He also played fo ...
. Nelson started again in a week 5 30–12 loss to the
New York Guardians
The Orlando Guardians are a professional American football team based in Orlando, Florida. The team was founded by Vince McMahon's Alpha Entertainment and is an owned-and-operated member of the XFL. The Guardians played their home games at MetLi ...
after another injury to starting quarterback Landry Jones. He had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10, 2020.
Montreal Alouettes
Nelson signed with the
Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes (French: Les Alouettes de Montréal) are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has folded and been revived twice. The Alouettes compete in the East Division of the Canad ...
of the CFL on January 22, 2021. He was released before the start of the regular season on May 27.
Career statistics
Source:
Assault charges
Nelson was charged with first- and third-degree assault for kicking former Minnesota State Mankato football player Isaac Kolstad in the head during the early morning hours of May 11, 2014, after a night of underage drinking. The argument allegedly involved conversation surrounding a bar bouncer hitting on Nelson's girlfriend.
Other people around the area reported that Nelson allegedly kicked Kolstad while he was unconscious, following being punched by a third party, Trevor Shelley. Shelley, also facing first- and third-degree assault charges, told police he did not hit Kolstad.
Kolstad was left unable to breathe on his own following significant destruction of brain tissue and underwent surgeries. Surveillance video of the fight shows Kolstad throwing the first punch, knocking Nelson to the ground. The fight lasted eight seconds.
Nelson, age 20, and Kolstad were both intoxicated, according to police. Kolstad's injuries included a skull fracture, brain shifting, brain bleeding and lung deterioration due to lack of oxygen.
Kolstad moved home with his wife and two daughters in 2014 but have since divorced.
Kolstad suffered permanent brain damage.
Nelson pleaded guilty to lesser charges and reached a civil settlement with Kolstad in 2018.
References
External links
*
Minnesota profileEast Carolina bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Philip
1993 births
Living people
American football quarterbacks
Dallas Renegades players
East Carolina Pirates football players
Minnesota Golden Gophers football players
Montreal Alouettes players
People from DeForest, Wisconsin
Sportspeople from Dane County, Wisconsin
Players of American football from Minnesota
Players of American football from Wisconsin
San Diego Fleet players
Sportspeople from Mankato, Minnesota