Gophers running back Shannon Brooks jailed, suspected of assaulting roommate

Gophers running back Shannon Brooks was arrested early Sunday in Minneapolis on suspicion of assaulting his roommate in the residence they share, according to authorities.

Brooks, a 22-year-old senior who has been sidelined all season because of a knee injury, was booked into the Hennepin County jail about 2:40 a.m., according to the jail log.

Police spokeswoman Sgt. Darcy Horn said the arrest occurred shortly after 1:30 a.m. in the 600 block of 15th Avenue SE., the same block near campus where Brooks lives. Horn described the suspected offense as a misdemeanor.

Newell R. Fisk, 21, reported "a domestic abuse in progress" to law enforcement, according to a police report released Sunday evening. Fisk was not hurt, the report added.

Gophers coach P.J. Fleck said during an interview late Sunday morning on WCCO Radio, AM 830, that "at this point, with the process unfolding, I'm not able to comment about any aspect of it whatsoever. I wish I could, but I'm not able to do that at this time.''

Brooks, who has more than 2,500 all-purpose yards in his career, is working his way back from a torn ligament in his knee.

He traveled to Columbus for Saturday's game with Ohio State, participated in pregame warmups but did not play in the Gophers' 30-14 defeat.

On Tuesday, Fleck said that when Brooks is "ready to play and when I get told that he can play, then we'll start looking at when we want to do that."

Brooks is majoring in recreation administration and came to the Gophers from Austell, Ga.

He was in line to be one of the Gophers' featured backs this season before he tore an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) just before spring practice. It appeared he would miss the entire season, but a new NCAA rule regarding redshirts allows a player to participate in up to four games without using a year of eligibility. That put Brooks back in play for four games this year if his rehab progressed well.

Brooks has rushed 336 times for 1,728 yards and 17 touchdowns in 28 career games. He led the team with 709 rushing yards as a freshman in 2015. Injuries limited his play the next two seasons. He missed three games in 2016, when he rushed for 650 yards, and six games last year, when he carried for 369 yards.

He has been a productive pass-catcher out of the backfield, with 30 career receptions for 302 yards and two touchdowns.

Redshirt freshman Mohamed Ibrahim has taken over as the starter, and he rushed 23 times for 157 yards and two touchdowns in the 30-14 loss at No. 3 Ohio State on Saturday. He leads the team with 415 rushing yards on 71 carries. True freshman Bryce Williams has rushed 81 times for 318 yards, including 33 times for 141 yards against Miami (Ohio) as a starter when Ibrahim was injured. Minnesota ranks 10th in the Big Ten with an average of 150.5 rushing yards per game.