New Mexico State cancels season after player claims sex, harassment allegations
New Mexico State’s men’s basketball season is over.
Chancellor Dan Arvizu announced the end of the season after the release of a police report which detailed three players attacking a teammate in a case that includes allegations of false imprisonment, harassment and criminal sexual contact.
“It’s time for this program to reset,” Arvizu said in the statement.
Arvizu said the shutdown was in response to a report filed to campus police on Friday by a player against three teammates. According to the report, the victim said that on Feb. 6, his teammates held him down “removed his clothing exposing his buttocks and began to slap his (buttocks). He also went on to state that they also touched his scrotum.”
The victim, whose name was redacted in the report along with those of the other players, said other incidents involving inappropriate physical and sexual touching had been occurring in locker rooms and on road trips since last summer. Regarding the latest instance, the victim told police he had no choice but to let this happen “because it’s a 3-on-1 type of situation.”
Arvizu, who will be leaving the university in June after regents recently chose not to renew his contract, said “this action is clearly needed, especially after receiving additional facts and reviewing investigation reports related to the hazing allegations involving student-athletes on the team.”
“We must uphold the safety of our students and the integrity of our university,” said Arvizu, who had initially suspended the program on Friday, then revealed what he called hazing allegations a day later.
The allegations come less than three months after the suspension of forward Mike Peake, who is being investigated in the case of the fatal shooting of a student from rival school, University of New Mexico, in Albuquerque on Nov. 19.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.