Wednesday, February 28
Today we announced the Advisory Committee that will assist the Department in the process of finding a new men's basketball coach. The committee (listed below) will provide necessary community input on the profile/characteristics of the next head coach, community expectations, and other valuable feedback. The committee will not interview candidates or be directly involved in the selection process. I am looking forward to working with this committee and gaining important insight as we move forward on this hire that is so critical to the future of Lobo basketball.
Breda Bova
Faculty Athletics Representative and Senior Advisor to the President, University of New Mexico
John Brooks
Retail Grocer
Lobo Club Past President
Gig Brummell
Retired Senior Vice President for a national investment brokerage firm
UNM basketball and baseball letterman, 1959-61
Bob Cooper
Attorney, Robert R. Cooper Law Offices
2006-07 Lobo Club President
Tim Garcia
District Judge, State of New Mexico
UNM tennis letterman, 1974-76
All-American, 1976
Hunter Greene
Vice President, CB Richard Ellis
UNM basketball letterman, 1983-88
Marie L. Lobo, PhD, RN, FAAN
Professor
College of Nursing, University of New Mexico
Ron Nelson
Realtor
UNM basketball letterman, 1966-68
All-American, 1968
Joe O'Neill
Director of Sports Marketing, Citadel Broadcasting
Dr. Richard Peck
Former President, University of New Mexico
Leonard Sanchez
CPA, Moss Adams
Lobo Club Past President
Ron Wallace
Publisher, Perspective Magazine and Newspaper
Gang Intervention Specialist, City of Albuquerque
UNM football letterman, 1973-75
February 22, 2007
I wanted to inform all Lobo fans that Coach McKay's contract will be terminated at the end of the current basketball season. After many lengthy discussions with the coach, I have come to the conclusion that Lobo basketball needs a change in leadership. Realizing a change was imminent, I felt its best for Coach McKay, his staff, and our players to move forward and announce our decision sooner rather than later.
This is a difficult time for Lobo basketball, our coaches, their families, and our student-athletes. I would ask that all Lobo fans continue to support our men's basketball team as we finish the season and head into the conference tournament.
As you know, Lobo basketball has a storied history and is a source of great pride and spirit for the University of New Mexico. It will be our goal to aggressively identify potential candidates that fit within the framework of the mission of UNM and the vision of our athletic department. An advisory committee including former players will help provide guidance and input during the process. Starting the search now rather than at the end of the season will provide us with a real advantage. It will be an on-going department policy not to publicly comment on any potential candidates for the coaching vacancy.
Thank you for your continued support of Lobo Athletics.GO LOBOS!
Op-Ed February 2007
I am writing in response to the Tribune's editorial dated January 11, 2007, regarding the disciplinary action as a result of the incident in December involving three Lobo football players and a visiting recruit.
The second paragraph of the Tribune's editorial states that "UNM football coach Rocky Long has yet to announce the fates of the three Lobo players involved in this incident." This infers that no disciplinary action was taken against the young men. That is not true. Swift, appropriate action was taken against the three players once the full police report was released, beginning with suspension from the New Mexico Bowl in December 2006. Further action is explained below.
First, it is important to note that neither the University of New Mexico Department of Athletics nor the University leadership takes this type of situation lightly. We understand the gravity of the situation, along with the damage to the credibility of our athletic program and our institution. This incident is embarrassing and we will do a better job of instilling the importance of responsibility and accountability in our student-athletes.
Second, we recognize this incident as extremely serious, yet isolated. UNM has over 500 student-athletes, the majority of whom are positive, mature, and outstanding representatives of our University. We also recognize that young men and women make mistakes, sometimes serious ones, as were the actions of the three Lobo football players.
In my opinion, our response to this incident was comprehensive and significant and it is misleading for the Tribune to suggest otherwise. Specifically, once we received the official police report on the morning of Friday, December 15, the three young men involved were immediately suspended from all team activities, which included participation in the Inaugural New Mexico Bowl the following week. Since final examinations for the fall semester had just ended, all three young men were instructed to return home until the start of the 2007 spring semester.
As for additional discipline, two of the young men, Justin Clayton and Clayton Cardenas, are no longer a part of the program. Cardenas decided not to return for the 2007 spring semester and Clayton graduated with his bachelor's degree in spring 2006.
Coach Long announced publicly the status of the one returning student-athlete, Michael Tuohy at the beginning of spring semester. While still a member of the Lobo football program, Tuohy is on probation with a number of significant conditions attached to his being a member of the team. Due to student privacy laws, those conditions cannot be made public; however, Tuohy understands that should he not adhere to those conditions or if he is involved in any other incident, he will be permanently dismissal from the football program.
There is no "one-size-fits-all" disciplinary model. We try to educate our student-athletes regarding appropriate behavior, and hold them accountable for their actions. In addition, we take action when they misstep. We treat each incident based on the specific circumstances of the event.
Third, as a part of the bigger picture of student-athlete conduct, the Athletic Department is in the process of creating a set of standards for all student-athletes. We are following a thorough, methodical process to create this document and plan to announce our Student-Athletic Code of Conduct in late spring or early summer of this year.
Finally, I believe the number one priority of a university is to educate its students. That education not only involves academic growth, but it also includes personal growth and maturity. Young people make mistakes. Many of us would not be where we are today if we had only been given one chance. These football players made a mistake, a serious mistake. It is our role, as part of a university, to help educate these young men so they will not make similar mistakes in the future.
