Penn State football player charged with assault after fight at State College fraternity

A Penn State football player key to the Nittany Lions’ 2023 Big Ten title aspirations was charged Wednesday with two misdemeanors after being accused of punching a man in the face at a fraternity in State College.

Penn State tight end Theo Johnson was involved in a fight in February after he refused to leave a fraternity along East Prospect Ave., State College police wrote in an affidavit of probable cause.

“We are aware of the charges against Theo Johnson,” Penn State athletics wrote in a statement. “These alleged actions do not reflect the values and standards of our program and will be addressed. We will not comment any further as this is an ongoing legal matter.”

Johnson, 22, was asked to leave because he wasn’t wearing a wristband that was required for the fraternity event, police said.

Surveillance video showed Johnson punch the man during the argument, police said. The man’s sunglasses, valued at more than $560, were broken in the fight. The man was later diagnosed with a concussion at Mount Nittany Medical Center.

Johnson, a junior, was charged with one misdemeanor count each of simple assault and criminal mischief. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 24.

Johnson is expected to be a starter on Penn State’s offense and a top target for quarterback Drew Allar, especially with tight end Brenton Strange set to be picked in this weekend’s NFL draft. Johnson had 328 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 20 catches last season.

Johnson finished his 2022 campaign on a high note. The 6-foot-6, 256-pounder had at least one catch of 25-plus yards in six of Penn State’s final seven games, including the Rose Bowl win over Utah.

Johnson did not take part in the Nittany Lions’ Blue-White game two weeks ago.