NM State suspends men's basketball program after boy stripped and molested during ugly hazing ritual

After allegations of hazing were made public in a police report, New Mexico State University took severe action against the men's basketball team. After a player was allegedly bullied by other players, Chancellor Dan Arvizu halted the program "until further notice." First-year head coach Greg Heiar and his entire coaching staff have been sent on paid administrative leave by Arvizu, who, in a statement with CBS, said, “We took this action after receiving reports of alleged hazing incidents within our men's basketball team. Our players and coaches were in California at the time preparing to play Cal Baptist. To ensure we fully understood this situation, we canceled that game, called the team back to Las Cruces, and placed the coaching staff on paid administrative leave.”

‘Hazing has no place on our campus'

“Once our student-athletes arrived on campus, they were met and interviewed by university personnel who are specially trained to conduct investigations into these kinds of matters,” the statement by the Chancellor read, which also added, “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." “Hazing has no place on our campus, and those found responsible will be held accountable for their actions. We must uphold the safety of our students and the integrity of our university. It’s time for this program to reset. I have spoken with Western Athletic Conference Commissioner Brian Thornton earlier today and informed him of this decision,” the statement noted.

‘Removed his clothing exposing his buttocks’

According to KTSM-TV, citing the police record, the victim reported the hazing to campus police but decided not to take the matter further. Three basketball players for the Aggies men's team have been named by the accused victim as the perpetrators of the alleged attack. According to reports, each of them has been charged with two charges of illegal sexual contact, one offence of harassment, and one case each of false imprisonment dating back to July or August of 2022. Also read: TikTok is banned from campus WiFi at University of Texas to reduce national security risks The names of the complainant, as well as the suspects, have not been disclosed. But the official paper stated that the latest alleged attack occurred on February 6, which saw the trio holding “him down with him [the victim] facing down, removed his clothing exposing his buttocks and began to ‘slap his ass.’ He also went on to state that they also touched his scrotum.”