The defender is suspended for Rovers’ next match on Sunday against Fulham after being sent off in the defeat to Aston Villa last weekend and Blackburn will not be in action again until March 19 when they face Blackpool.
Manager Steve Kean knows how hard it has been for one of his star players to concentrate on football over the past week and is happy to give him some time off.
“It has been a really tough week for Ryan obviously with all the commotion back home,” Kean told the club’s website.
“He has shown total professionalism. He’s trained every day and really wanted to play. The manner in which he has conducted himself and trained has been tremendous.
“The good thing for him is that his family are okay, he’s been on the phone to support them through this difficult time.”
Nelsen wore a black armband as a tribute to those affected by the quake during Blackburn’s match with Villa but the day didn’t quite go to plan. Rovers were handed a 4-1 defeat by the Midlands club and Nelsen was dismissed for a second bookable offence late in the match.
The 33-year-old is understood to have boarded a plane bound for Christchurch, a city in crisis after the 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck last Tuesday, and is expected to arrive today or tomorrow.
His agent Hamish Miller told The Press newspaper that he would stay for a few days and “just wants to play some part” as Christchurch tries to get back on its feet following the disaster.
He is bringing some signed Blackburn Rovers memorabilia, which will be auctioned off and the money given to the earthquake relief fund.
Nelsen is not the only All White keen to contribute is such a way.
Earlier this week, fellow English Premier League defender Winston Reid announced that he would be putting some of his souvenirs from New Zealand’s historic FIFA World Cup campaign up for auction.
“I’m trying to sort some stuff out for the people back home,” Reid said. “I’ll be auctioning jerseys, boots and some other signed items.”