Heath Nielson (Jail photo via KWTX)
Heath Nielsen, associate athletic director at Baylor University, has one of the most difficult jobs in college sports at the moment: cleaning up the athletic department's tattered image in the wake of one of the more disturbing systematic sexual assault coverups in recent memory. Still, it's his job, and he likely gets paid a decent salary to do it, so it is up to Nielsen to portray Baylor Athletics in the best possible light.Here's one idea that might help you do your job, Mr. Nielsen: try not to get arrested for choking a reporter in front of a massive crowd of people at a Baylor football game.In what has to rank among the top 50 worst stories to come out of Baylor this year, Nielsen is facing charges stemming from a November 5th incident in which he allegedly grabbed a reporter by the throat and pushed him away from a player following Baylor's 62-22 loss to TCU:"The victim, James McBride had received permission from a football player to take a photograph, and after the picture was taken 'Nielsen walked up to McBride on the right, grabbed McBride by the throat with his right hand, squeezed and pushed him away from the football player,' an arrest warrant affidavit obtained by KWTX says."When McBride and the player asked Nielsen what he had done wrong, the associate AD responded, "He's abusing his privileges."To be fair, Baylor athletic directors are quite familiar with the concept of abusing privileges. They continue to deal with the fallout from the reports of 17 women being sexually or domestically assaulted, four of which were alleged gang rapes, by 19 different Baylor football players. Former head coach Art Briles admitted that he knew of at least one incident but failed to report it. Briles and university president Ken Starr lost their jobs in the wake of the scandal. Nielsen, who is out on bond but hasn't been seen around the athletic department in recent weeks according to KWTX, may be following them out the door.[KWTX Waco]
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