HOUSTON – A University of Houston freshman football player is accused of choking his girlfriend during an argument, court records show.
Chidozie Nwankwo, 18, of Rosenberg, is charged with assault of a family member-impending breathing.
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Records indicate that Nwankwo’s girlfriend of three years said she was choked during a heated argument on Jan. 28 at Nwankwo’s apartment where she’d been staying.
The argument, she claims in court documents, started when she asked him for help with her hair. She told authorities he started yelling at her and making threats to punch her when she tried to pick up her things and leave. He became enraged, according to court documents, and then held her by her throat and “squeezed,” causing her to “gasp for air.” The assault continued when he slapped her as she tried to leave the room and he eventually held her neck down and pushed her face into a mattress, according to documents.
As a condition of his $5,000 personal bond and an emergency order against him, Nwankwo is forbidden from coming within 200 feet of his girlfriend and is not permitted to make contact with her, among other measures.
According to the University of Houston, Nwankwo is defensive lineman. The Foster High School graduate from Richmond, according to UH.
The University of Houston issued this statement Monday:
“We are aware of the serious allegations regarding Chidozie Nwankwo. He has been suspended from the Houston football program, pending further information. In accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), the athletics department’s ability to comment on specific cases is restricted.”