MANKATO – Five to 10 seconds.
That's how long police say an altercation, likely exacerbated by alcohol, lasted early Sunday as bars closed in downtown Mankato.
Now, a 24-year-old father is in grave condition with a fractured skull and swollen brain. Doctors are unsure if Isaac Kolstad will survive and, if so, the extent of the brain damage he suffered.
Former University of Minnesota starting quarterback Philip Nelson, 20, stands charged with first- and third-degree assault, facing up to 20 years in prison for allegedly kicking Kolstad in the head.
And police are searching for a third man in his 20s wearing a torn red shirt, seen on city surveillance cameras delivering a punch that witnesses say seemed to knock out Kolstad before his head crashed loudly against the street and Nelson allegedly kicked the left side of his skull "like a soccer ball."
"You have some decisions that were made by some individuals that probably had some impaired thinking and those decisions will affect many lives for years to come," said Patrick McDermott, assistant Blue Earth County attorney.
Nelson, a high school football star from Mankato who transferred to Rutgers University after last season, appeared in court for 10 minutes Monday wearing orange jail fatigues.
His wrists were handcuffed and his feet were shackled as his parents looked on.