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Thursday, November 19, 2009
Analysis: UNM: Locksley Here 'til 2014
By Martin Salazar
Journal Staff Writer
Ritchie McKay managed to last nearly five years as the University of New Mexico's head basketball coach despite a lackluster win-loss record, plummeting game attendance and plenty of fans calling for his resignation.
UNM expects Mike Locksley to last at least that long as the school's head football coach, despite his winless record and troubles off the field.
"We envision coach Locksley serving out his contract," UNM spokeswoman Susan McKinsey said last week. That contract expires June 30, 2014.
Less than three years ago, University of New Mexico Athletics Vice President Paul Krebs told reporters he had no choice but to fire McKay, who was in his fifth year as UNM's basketball coach. Basketball fans had had it with the program's lackluster performance, and, as the losses mounted, the fans' calls for his departure grew louder.
Krebs had been at UNM less than a year when he decided McKay had to go.
"I think the negativity around the leadership, the speculation around the leadership, made it impossible for the coaching staff to effectively do its job," Krebs told the Journal at the time.
Fast forward to today.
With just two games left, Locksley is facing the prospect of a winless season. The football team is now 0-10.
The calls for Locksley's departure, however, have been sparked mostly by other problems. Administrative assistant Sylvia Lopez filed a complaint against the first-year Lobos coach alleging age discrimination, sexual harassment and retaliation. And one of Locksley's former assistant coaches is accusing him of punching him in the mouth and choking him on Sept. 20.
Despite the allegations, Locksley has been lavished with statements from Krebs and other university officials professing faith in his continued ability to lead the program.
"We stand behind Coach Locksley and know that he has performed and continues to perform his job in a professional and respectable manner and will do so in the future," Krebs and UNM President David Schmidly said in a joint statement in a news release announcing that the Lopez complaint against Locksley had been resolved.
On Monday, through a spokeswoman, Schmidly said he remains confident in UNM's selection of Locksley as its football coach. He said he couldn't compare UNM's handling of the McKay and Locksley matters because McKay had already been fired when he took over the UNM presidency.
So why was Krebs' treatment of McKay so different from his treatment of Locksley?
"These are two totally different situations," Krebs said in an e-mail to the Journal. "The decision regarding Coach McKay was based on an evaluation of a coach and his program in its fifth year. We were not satisfied with the results on or off the court. Coach McKay felt he could no longer be effective and I agreed. Coach Locksley is in his first season. His program will be held to higher expectations of achievement and progress as his tenure as our coach lengthens."
McKay's overall record at UNM was 82-69. He did lead the Lobos to the NCAA Tournament in his third season — the program's only such appearance this decade — but did not make the postseason in any other year.
It's worth noting that Krebs, the decision-maker in both instances, inherited McKay while Locksley was his pick. The contract guaranteeing Locksley $750,000 a year was signed by Krebs and Schmidly just seven months ago.
Krebs, Schmidly, University Counsel Patrick Apodaca and Human Resources Vice President Helen Gonzales all say no deal has been brokered to have Locksley resign at the end of the season.
Krebs' initial stance on McKay was that he would hold off on making a decision until the end of the season. He told the now defunct Albuquerque Tribune in January 2007 that it would likely take a criminal act by a coach or a major moral dilemma to prompt an in-season move.
No criminal act or moral dilemma surfaced with McKay. Yet, the following month — before the season had ended — Krebs fired McKay, calling it a decision he "could not afford not to make."
Former assistant coach J.B. Gerald's attorney, meanwhile, has informed UNM that his client might pursue criminal charges against Locksley. Pat Davis, spokesman for the District Attorney's Office, said the matter hasn't been referred to his agency. However, if a misdemeanor charge is pursued, the police officer filing the criminal complaint would prosecute it. UNM isn't saying whether it would defend Locksley if charges are filed.
While Locksley acknowledges that he laid his hands on Gerald, he denies punching or choking him. Witness statements gathered three days after the incident appear to support Gerald's allegations, though the official UNM investigation did not substantiate claims that Locksley punched and choked Gerald.
When the altercation came to light, Krebs initially planned to reprimand Locksley, but later, after a public outcry, suspended him for 10 days without pay.
UNM regent Jack Fortner said the university needs to look beyond the altercation when determining Locksley's fate.
"I think at the end of the year, the university — and that's Krebs and Schmidly and the regents, to the extent they don't micromanage — we look and say, 'Is the program going where we want it to go, and are we going to be able to get to the level that we had hired Locksley to get us to?' "
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