University of Houston defensive lineman Carmello Brooks has been arrested for allegedly slamming a pregnant woman to the ground.
Brooks, a 19-year-old sophomore, was arrested by the University of Houston Police Department (UHPD) on Thursday, Sept. 17, according to public Harris County court records.
According to a criminal complaint filed in Harris County and obtained by PEOPLE, prosecutors allege that Brooks "intentionally, knowingly and recklessly" caused "bodily injury" to the woman "by picking her up and slamming her to the ground."
The complaint alleges that the student athlete was aware that the woman was pregnant during the incident.
The 6-foot-3, 275-pound Brooks has been suspended and did not travel with the Cougars to Lubbock for their Week 2 matchup against Texas Tech,
Brooks will be due back in court on Sept. 21.
Brooks also has a misdemeanor charge from earlier on Aug. 9 of criminal mischief. The woman who was in this altercation was different from the alleged victim in the assault charge this week. The police did not arrest Brooks in relation to the August verbal altercation until this past week.
During his probable cause hearing, a hearing officer said the allegations involve the woman just finding out she was pregnant and Brooks allegedly squeezed her arms, slammed her to the ground and sat on her, pinning her to the ground, Click2Houston reported. Officers allegedly noted visible injuries.
"We are aware of an incident involving a Houston Football student-athlete. We take all allegations of this nature very seriously and are gathering more information," Houston Athletics said in a media statement.
Brooks was born in Katy, Texas, roughly 30 miles from the University of Houston.
The defensive lineman enrolled at UH in January as a three-star recruit. Brooks was named District 19-6A Defensive MVP as a senior. He was also listed on the 2024 Houston Chronicle All-Greater Houston First Team Defense. According to his UH player profile, Brooks also participated in track and field.
Brooks redshirted in 2025 and did not see any action. According to team stats, he has played in one game, against Southern on Sept. 12.
