College basketball player accused of punching injured teammate in shocking dispute over plane seat
A New Mexico men’s basketball player allegedly punched one of his injured teammates during a flight last month amid a dispute over a seat.
This is reported by the Albuquerque television station COB 4a running member of the Lobos basketball team was hit on the shoulder by a scholarship player he had in a sling as they headed to Palm Springs for the Acrisure Classic before Thanksgiving.
The alleged victim’s family claims the two players – who have not been named – were involved in a dispute over his seat on the plane before he was punched on his injured shoulder.
He was also forced to go to an Albuquerque hospital for treatment when the team returned after a similar incident occurred at their hotel later in the day.
The walk-on player claims to have told the New Mexico coaching staff what happened, but no action was taken at the time.
However, the school is now said to be investigating the incident between their two men’s basketball players.
A New Mexico basketball player allegedly struck his injured teammate during a run last month
Head coach Richard Pitino (photo) remained tight-lipped during his latest press conference
A lawyer representing the alleged victim told the local TV station KRQE that the scholarship player was allowed to play two matches after the incident occurred.
The University of New Mexico released a statement earlier this week emphasizing that it is taking the allegation “very seriously.”
“The University of New Mexico takes the safety and well-being of all of our students very seriously. “We are aware of an alleged incident involving members of our men’s basketball team and are carefully investigating and assessing all facts,” the statement said.
“We are following all applicable protocols and procedures in addressing this situation and are committed to addressing any misconduct appropriately.” Due to federal student privacy laws, specifically the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), we are unable to release specific details or comment further on individual student cases.”
Head coach Richard Pitino remained tight-lipped during his latest press conference.
“There’s not much I can talk about,” Pitino said. “We will handle any disciplinary matters internally, but other than that I can’t say much concretely.”