UNM: Davie suspension to take effect Saturday
UNM interim president makes announcement placing coach on leave over alleged misconduct
Football coach will be placed on 30-day leave for allegedly abusive behavior.
The stutter-stepping process to start The University of New Mexico head football coach’s 30-day suspension is officially over. Probably. UNM Interim President Chaouki Abdallah announced Thursday night that embattled coach Bob Davie will begin serving his unpaid suspension Saturday. It will run through March 18.
A decision on which of Davie’s assistants will run the program in his absence will be made by athletic director Eddie Nunez. He is expected to announce the interim coach during a Friday morning news conference in The Pit.
He met with the players and the coaching staff late Thursday to discuss the matter.
“My current focus is to communicate with members of the coaching staff and players in order to determine the direction of the program, support our student-athletes, and maintain continuity within the football program,” Nuñez said in a release issued by the school. “I am committed to making the UNM athletic department responsible, accountable, and a leader in diversity and inclusion.”
Davie was originally suspended Feb. 8, but he filed an appeal that was sent to the school’s regents during last week’s regularly scheduled board meeting. The decision to consider the
appeal was voted down 6-0, but was quickly found to have violated the state’s Open Meetings Act since the matter was decided in executive session behind closed doors.
The board will meet for a second time at 8 a.m. Monday to vote again on whether or not to consider the appeal.
If regents do vote to consider their previous ruling, it means evidence from both sides must be submitted to the board before a ruling is made.
“In any event, coach’s suspension begins this Saturday,” said a UNM spokeswoman.
Davie was the subject of a monthslong series of investigations that focused on player complaints of abusive behavior. They ranged from using racially charged language at practices, to attempting to interfere with potential legal matters regarding players and circumnavigating the input of medical staff to get injured players back on the field before they were cleared.
The investigations failed to unearth enough evidence to prove Davie had done anything wrong, but they did conclude that he undergo what amounts to sensitivity training while the athletic department be educated on the university’s procedures for reporting personnel concerns.
“I want to emphasize that our commitment is to cultivate a culture built upon respect and transparency at this university,” Abdallah said in a statement.
Davie is entering his seventh season with the Lobos, having coached the team to a 30-45 record with two bowl appearances. The team is going through spring practices, which began Feb. 9.
Davie the state’s highest-paid public employee and is under contract with the school through the end of the 2021 season. His annual base salary of $422,690 includes an additional $400,000 for such things as media obligations, endorsements and regular engagements with donors through promotional events.
Incentives built into the contract mean he could make as much as $1.14 million a year.
He receives a monthly payment of $35,224.17 off his base salary alone.