New Mexico State fires Greg Heiar amid hazing scandal

New Mexico State University Chancellor Dan Arvizu announced in a letter to the school community late Tuesday night that first-year head coach Greg Heiar was fired, days after the school canceled the rest of the program’s men’s basketball season.

You can read the letter for yourself below:

“As I’ve stated previously, hazing has no place on our campus, and those found responsible will be held accountable for their actions,” Arvizu wrote. “I am committed to the safety and well-being of all members of our campus community, as well as to the integrity of our university.”

Arvizu said in the letter that decisions about the rest of the coaching staff will be made after further investigation.

Heiar’s dismissal comes in the wake of a disturbing hazing scandal that includes reports of nonconsensual sexual contact, including criminal sexual contact, done by a group of three unnamed players to an unnamed victim. The campus police report obtained by news outlets detailed the victim telling investigators that on Feb. 6 three members of the team held him down, “removed his clothing exposing his buttocks and began to ‘slap his [buttocks].’” He went on to state that they also touched his scrotum.

It was reported that the hazing lasted for months prior with other instances of inappropriate sexual contact.

Earlier this season, NMSU forward Mike Peake shot and killed a University of New Mexico student in what local law enforcement called self defense. There is an ongoing investigation by local authorities after coaches and NSMU staffers were in possession of potential evidence involved with the shooting.

Heiar, who was an assistant under disgraced and abusive coach Gregg Marshall at Wichita State, went 9-15 in what has been the worst season for the WAC powerhouse since 2005.