Barry Turner Arrested on Domestic Assault Charge

Defensive end Barry Turner was arrested after a disturbance on Friday evening with his live-in girlfriend.  According to a court affadavit, Turner was upset over a phone call his girlfriend made.  The woman tried to leave, but Turner allegedly picked her up and carried her back into the apartment and began hitting her with a pillow.  The girlfriend responded by hitting Turner in the head with a candlestick from a nightstand, and Turner responded by biting her under the arm, resulting in a bruise.

Turner spent the weekend in jail, and was released Monday on $500 bond.  He is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.

Turner missed most of the 2008 season after suffering a broken leg against San Jose State, and was granted a medical redshirt to be eligibile again this fall.  Bo Pelini's comment is he is aware of the situation and "will deal with it as it plays out."

Terry Dougherty, a Lincoln attorney contacted by Turner, said that no charges have been filed, and doesn't feel that charges should be filed, but that may change during Thursday's hearing.

Obviously, bad news for Turner.  I'm slightly surprised by the lack of response by Pelini, but since spring practice doesn't begin for a few weeks, there's probably no need to act immediately.  If charges are filed, I would expect Turner to be promptly suspended.  It's important to wait and see where the court case goes, but for now, football is the lowest priority in Turner's life at this time.  If the charges turn out to be true, Turner's football career at Nebraska could be now be over.

Nebraska's only other defensive end with experience is junior Pierre Allen, who replaced Turner last season.  The potential loss of Turner will put added emphasis on the development of freshmen Cameron Meredith and Josh Williams, who redshirted last season.