A Parksville man is recovering after he was found unconscious on a downtown sidewalk early Sunday.
Police said the man, 24, was in town for the weekend assisting at a Vancouver Island Raiders training camp.
He was found by Nanaimo RCMP's Bike Patrol Unit at about 3 a.m., lying on Bastion Street bleeding from a head injury.
Several bystanders were unable to tell police how he was injured.
The victim was rushed to Nanaimo Regional General Hospital and later airlifted to Victoria to be treated for a fractured skull. Medical personnel told police his injuries were consistent with being involved in some form of altercation.
Const. Gary O'Brien, Nanaimo RCMP spokesman, said the victim was assisting with coaching duties with a training camp for the VI Raiders football club on the weekend.
“The male has regained consciousness and is talking, but has no memory of what happened to him. Officers have determined he attended several night clubs earlier in the evening, but what caused his injuries, is presently unknown,” O’Brien Said.
Police are trying to piece together the circumstances that led to the man's injuries.
The victim is 5'9", approximately 350 lbs and was wearing a bright red shirt.
"He was in the bars and he had been drinking and he was in an altercation, so that's going to twig somebody's memory," O'Brien said.
Anyone with information on this incident is asked to call the Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345 or contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.nanaimocrimestoppers.com