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A police report outlining alleged sexual hazing by teammates of an unidentified basketball player on the men’s team at New Mexico State University led to the firing Tuesday of head coach Greg Heiar. The firing followed the suspension of the season on Friday.
Chancellor Dan Arvizu, at a press conference Wednesday, described the recent events as being part of a “culture of bad behavior” in the basketball program and said it included “egregious violations of our student code of conduct” and “other despicable acts.”
The redacted police report describes the hazing as taking place since July or August of last year, but Arvizu said that he had no previous knowledge about any hazing within the men’s basketball program.
“It’s that process that has given me pause to say, why not?” Arvizu said, describing plans for an “independent” review of campus procedures. The university previously hired an external investigator after a men’s basketball player fatally shot a University of New Mexico student in November during an exchange of gunfire in which the NMSU player was wounded. No criminal charges have been announced in connection to either the shooting or the report of hazing.
