Iowa State football player Robert Lewis is in fair condition after being stabbed in Fort Dodge early Sunday morning.

Lewis, sophomore in animal science from La Marque, Tex., was stabbed once in the upper torso at about 1:30 a.m. outside the Laramar Ballroom, 710 First Ave., said Tom Francis, assistant police chief of the Fort Dodge Police Department.

“It’s not 100 percent clear what happened yet, but there was an altercation out front,” he said.

Francis said the incident was spurred by a dispute inside the Laramar Ballroom involving a couple of “Lewis’ friends.”

“When that was basically shut down inside it moved out onto the street, and there was another altercation,” Francis said.

He said Lewis was not part of the initial confrontation.

“He was trying to be the peacemaker, and that’s when he got his injury,” Francis said.

Lewis currently is at Mary Greeley Medical Center where he was taken by ambulance Sunday morning after treatment at the Hamilton County Hospital in Webster City.

“If you can call an injury fortunate, I think [his] probably falls under that category,” Francis said.

Tom Kroeschell, director of media relations for the ISU Athletic Department, said Lewis is recovering well.

“Coach [Dan] McCarney has visited him several times in the hospital, and we expect his release likely in the next couple of days,” he said.

Fort Dodge police officers interviewed Lewis and other witnesses from Ames Monday morning in his hospital room at Mary Greeley.

Francis said the department still is investigating the case and has a few leads, including a clothing description, but none regarding the identity of the perpetrator.

“[Lewis] is not from [Fort Dodge], and I guess the actual perpetrator is not from [Fort Dodge] either,” he said. “It is going to be difficult.”

Francis said McCarney was cooperative in gathering the football players the police needed for questioning.

“There was no wrongdoing on their part we’re looking at,” he said.

Francis said the case is going to be difficult to solve because it deals with people from Ames who Fort Dodge police officers do not know.

“We’re still doing interviews, and I’m not giving up hope that we’ll find out who did it,” he said.