It has been a roller coaster of a career for TCU defensive end Devonte Fields and it hit another downslope on Thursday as the preseason pick to be Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year surrendered to police in Fort Worth, according to The Associated Press.
According to The AP, Fields turned himself into authorities on a misdemeanor assault warrant but was released a short time later after posting bond of $3,500. Fields is being investigated by police following an incident on Sunday in which his ex-girlfriend accused him of pointing a gun at her, threatening her and then punching her in the head.
Fields has not been formally charged, but The AP reported he has been accused of a Class A misdemeanor for assault, a crime that would carry with it a reported $4,000 fine and up to a year of jail time.
The school announced Tuesday that Fields has been separated from TCU and the Horned Frogs' football program until the investigation into the disturbing allegations against him is settled.
This isn't the first time Fields has found himself in trouble off the field during his college football career. He was suspended for two games as a sophomore for an unspecified violation of team rules and in January was robbed and shot at in an off-campus incident near his apartment.
At Big 12 Media Days on Monday, before the Fort Worth Star-Telegram published details of the police report from the incident, TCU head coach Gary Patterson downplayed the potential impact Fields could make for the team in 2014 coming off a serious foot injury that forced him to take a medical redshirt.
"I was kind of surprised Devonte Fields was (the pick for Big 12 Preseason Defensive Player of the Year) because he hadn't played a year ago," Patterson said. "We were still one of the top two defenses over two years without him. If he's able to play and do the things he needs to do, then obviously I think we'll have a chance to be better."
Fields was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year as a freshman when he amassed 10 sacks in his first college season and helped the Horned Frogs transition to the league from the Mountain West. Since then, though, he's seen only a handful of snaps in a game and has made far more headlines off the field than on it for TCU.
You can follow Bryan Fischer on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.
