New video release shows violent blows in Nelson-Kolstad clash

The public is getting its first look at surveillance video showing the violent moments of a late-night assault in a downtown Mankato street involving former Minnesota Gophers quarterback Phillip Nelson and a onetime college football player, Isaac Kolstad, who spent months recovering from brain injuries he suffered in the rapid-fire brawl.

Until this new disclosure from the Blue Earth County District Court, surveillance images released from that booze-fueled incident in May did not include the blows exchanged among Nelson, Kolstad and another man.

Nelson and the other man, Trevor Shelley, are each charged with assault.

The 8 seconds of black and white video, aired Tuesday night by KEYC-TV in Mankato, is blurry but does show clearly enough each person's involvement at the time of the punching and kicking:

Nelson is seen speaking with a friend of Kolstad's, Sam Thompson. Also there is Nelson's girlfriend at the time, Malorie Veroeven.

Kolstad comes up from behind and punches Nelson, sending Nelson and Thompson to the pavement.

Shelley comes upon the scene and hits Kolstad from behind. Kolstad quickly goes down and is left motionless on his back.

Nelson then kicks Kolstad in the side of the head.

In a court hearing late last month, Nelson's lawyer requested that the charges be dropped, contending that no one can prove his client was the one who nearly killed Kolstad.

Defense attorney Jim Fleming said that prosecutors "can't say what injuries [Nelson] caused."

The hearing included new details about the May 11 fight, among them that both Nelson, who was 20 at the time, and Kolstad, who was 24, were drunk. Nelson had a blood alcohol content of 0.12 percent and Kolstad was at 0.16, according to police testimony.

Fleming also circled back again to evidence that shows Kolstad threw the first punch and taunted Nelson by claiming to have slept with his girlfriend.

The fight left Kolstad, a husband and father who worked as a salesman for Fastenal, with a severe brain injury. He recovered sufficiently to walk onto the Minnesota State Mankato field with his old teammates at one game this fall, but he struggles to speak and faces an uncertain future of continued therapy and treatment, according to his CaringBridge website.

Nelson, a high school football star from Mankato who started at the University of Minnesota for two seasons, was kicked off the Rutgers University football team days after he was charged. He faces two felony counts of assault.

Shelley, of St. Peter, faces first- and third-degree assault charges.

Star Tribune staff writer Matt McKinney contributed to this report. Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482