Former University of Minnesota quarterback Philip Nelson joined East Carolina's football team as a walk-on, according to a statement from the Pirates on Thursday.
Nelson, who practiced with ECU at the start of fall camp, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor fifth-degree assault and was ordered to perform 100 hours of community service in March for being involved in a May 2014 fight outside a Mankato, Minn., bar.
The fight resulted in a serious brain injury to former Minnesota State Mankato football player Isaac Kolstad.
"The university admissions process reviewed Phil's history and determined that he was admissible to ECU," East Carolina athletics director Jeff Compher said in a statement.