Penn State wrestling is pretty far and away better than everyone else this year, but things got just a little bit easier as Nelson Brands of Iowa wrestling announced on X that his appeal of a season-long suspension was denied.
Thank you! The Gambler. Out.
— Nelson Brands (@nelson_brands) December 20, 2023
Brands, along with fellow Hawkeye teammates Abe Assad, Tony Cassioppi, and Cobe Siebrecht were suspended for the entire season. Patrick Kennedy and Cullan Schriever were only suspended for part of the season.
“Appeal denied. Thanks @iowahawkeyewrestling for the many memories made while competing at the collegiate level. And the life lessons learned from competing at such a high level,” said Brands on X.
Nelson Brands, the nephew of Iowa wrestling coach Tom Brands and the son of assistant coach Terry Brands, went 15-8 last season with a fifth place finish at 174 pounds at the NCAA Championships.
Nelson said on Twitter he is grateful for the memories while wrestling for his uncle and his dad, along with assistants Ryan Morningstar and Bobby Telford.
“I am hoping that I will eventually come to peace with the ending of my collegiate career but I guess the hard pill to swallow would be accepting that I broke a rule and I now have to deal with the consequences,” said Nelson Brands.
“I will continue to strive to be the best friend, son, brother, husband and child of God I can be. There is a lot more to life than wrestling and I will have to learn this much sooner than I had planned.”’
“I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and an early happy birthday to Baby Jesus.”
“Thank you! The Gambler. Out.”
Kennedy has taken over the starting spot for Brands at 174 after missing the first few weeks of competition to start the season. Kennedy is 2-1 on the season, and the Hawkeyes are off to a 5-0 start and ranked No. 4 in the country.
