Suspensions handed down following hazing incident

[NEW MEXICO: Women] New Mexico women’s soccer coach Kit Vela was suspended for a week without pay, assistant coaches Jorge Vela and Krista Foo received letters of reprimand, and 22 Lobo players were suspended for one game following a hazingincident that resulted in the cancellation of UNM’s opener at Texas Tech.

The only players not suspended were true freshmen. The other suspensions will be staggered so New Mexico hasenough eligible players to field a full team. The Lobos don’t play this weekend. Their next matches are against Marquette and Weber State Sept. 5 and 7 at the Colorado College Invitational.

All UNM student-athletes will be assigned to take alcohol education and anti-hazing courses. The women’s soccer team will be the first program to take the alcohol education course and itwas in the process of taking the anti-hazing program. The team also voluntarily has designed a community service program that has been approved.

One freshman’s parent told Albuquerque station KOB that freshmen players were forced to strip naked, consume large amounts of alcohol and weresprayed with urine. What the UNM investigation uncovered was not released, but it was clear some sort of hazing initiation took place and players consumed dangerous amounts of alcohol.

“We believe the disciplinary measures we have taken today send a clear message about the gravity of the incident, and that it is unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” New Mexico vicepresident for athletics Paul Krebs said. “We feel we have a full understanding of what happened that night through the facts we received from thethird-party investigation. After talking with several of the parents of our true freshmen, we believe our course of action to be an appropriate response to the findings of that investigation. Theincident serves as a reminder to us all of our responsibility to our student-athletes on and off the field.”