Investigation over; Let Davie get back to work

Now that his 30-day unpaid suspension is over and University of New Mexico football coach Bob Davie is back at work, it seems an opportune time to summarize the questions being debated in Lobo nation:

Was Davie guilty of assorted transgressions as his critics contend, making the suspension the equivalent of a slap on the wrist and essentially doing him a favor?

Or, was he railroaded and his reputation sullied after three investigations turned up no significant policy violations and little in the way of evidence that didn’t fall into the category of rumor and hearsay.

Davie, entering his sixth season, deserves credit for turning around a complete train wreck of a program left by his predecessor, Mike Locksley.

But that wouldn’t excuse making racially charged statements, favoring white players over black athletes and interfering with a police investigation of rape accusations against players — which were some of the allegations against him.

It appears the investigation began as the result of a complaint letter by a former player who had a rocky relationship with Davie, which doesn’t mean his claims should be discounted. Other players publicly weighed in on Davie’s behalf, praising the coach for caring deeply about his players.

There is, of course, no denying Davie is intense and that he carries that intensity to work every day. A lot of coaches do.

Officially, then-interim President Chaouki Abdallah cited the following violations in a Feb. 6 letter imposing the suspension:

1. Davie’s failure to report to the UNM Office of Equal Opportunity an allegation of sexual assault lodged against one of his players. 2. Use of “racially charged language” with players on certain occasions. 3. Failure to: comply with an NCAA “principle” calling for coaches to establish and maintain an environment that values cultural diversity and gender equity; protect the health of and provide a safe environment for student athletes; and foster a positive relationship between the student athlete and coach. The “principle” is broad and amorphous, and Davie and his supporters point out that a Chicago law firm hired by Abdallah to look into the case found nothing that rose to the level of a policy violation. And, by the way, the outof-town lawyers didn’t bother to interview Davie — who vehemently denies the allegations.

The failure to interview is especially galling to Davie supporters, as is the decision by the Board of Regents to refuse to hear his appeal of the suspension. Perhaps the regents just wanted to move on, but their decision not to hear the appeal leaves many unanswered questions. That’s unfortunate. Neither detractors nor supporters can take much solace in this outcome.

But Davie, who led the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame for five years and then worked as an ESPN commentator before signing on at UNM, is still the Lobos’ head coach, with four years to go on a contract that expires in 2021. He makes about $800,000 annually and has compiled a 30-45 record — nothing to brag about, but respectable in the context of the complete disaster of his predecessor.

At the end of the day, there are not likely to be any new answers to the questions raised here.

Unless there is additional evidence — real evidence and not hearsay or rumor — it’s time to move on.

At this point, that’s fair for Davie, the players and the program.