Former NC State player arrested, accused of stalking head coach Dave Doeren

Former Wolfpack player Joseph Boletepeli charged with stalking and threatening his old head coach

Former NC State football player Joseph Boletepeli was arrested this week and charged with misdemeanor stalking and communicating threats towards Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren. Boletepeli, 22, was also charged with resisting a public official after police say he pulled away to avoid being handcuffed during his arrest.

According to a report by WRAL, a warrant stated that Boletepeli had directly threatened Doeren through Twitter in a post which read "Imma get him I promise. Dave Doeren and the rest". Investigators say that Boletepeli showed up at Doeren's office several times while also sending threatening text messages to Doeren and members of his staff. According to the Raleigh News & Observer, court records described Boletepeli's behavior as the sort that "would cause a reasonable person to suffer substantial emotional distress by placing that person in fear of death, bodily injury ... or the safety of the person's immediate family."

Boletepeli appeared in nine games for the Wolfpack between the 2018 and 2019 seasons, recording a total of 13 tackles, before transferring to Maryland in 2020. Boletepeli, a Raleigh native, played high school football at nearby Millbrook High School and Heritage High School.

According to Wake County records, Boletepeli was released on a $25,000 bond with orders to stay away from NC State's campus as well as his former coach. WRAL reports that Boletepeli has been placed under house arrest with an ankle monitor.

The arrest of Boletepeli comes after Virginia cancelled its game against Coastal Carolina following the killings of three members of the school's football team. Chris Jones Jr., a former member of the Virginia football team, has been charged with three counts of second degree murder.