Greg Heiar is no longer the coach of the New Mexico State men’s basketball team, the university chancellor announced in a statement Tuesday, days after a hazing scandal came to light.
The program shut down operations earlier this week after a player filed a police report alleging ongoing harassment by teammates since August. The allegations include false imprisonment and criminal sexual contact. The acts, the police report indicates, took place in front of multiple teammates “and that no one intervened.” The university is calling it “hazing.”
“As I’ve stated previously, hazing has no place on our campus, and those found responsible will be held accountable for their actions. I am committed to the safety and well-being of all members of our campus community, as well as to the integrity of our university,” NMSU Chancellor Dan Arvizu said in a statement announcing Heiar’s termination.
NMSU hired Heiar in March 2022 to replace Chris Jans, who left to coach Mississippi State. Jans coached the Aggies for five years and in 2022 the Aggies surprised Connecticut, the favored team, in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
Heiar, who won the 2021-22 junior college national championship while the head coach at Northwest Florida State College, had previously been an assistant coach for several programs, including Wichita State and Louisiana State. The NMSU job was his first head coaching position at a Division I school.
Tumultuous year
The Aggie program this year has been under scrutiny since November when a player, Mike Peake, left the team’s hotel with a gun the morning of the team’s rivalry game with the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. Peake shot and killed a UNM student in self-defense after he was attacked, according to police. Peake was shot in the leg.
The team struggled on the court this year, finishing the season with a record of 9-15 and 2-10 in the Western Athletic Conference.
The NMSU Board of Regents met in a closed session Tuesday, though it’s unclear how involved they were in the decision to fire Heiar.
In his statement, Arvizu noted an investigation into the hazing allegations continues.
“Through an expansive review and full investigation, we will work to ensure we fully understand what happened here, and that those found responsible are held accountable,” he said. “We will also ensure that support systems are in place to prevent this from happening again.
“Any further decisions regarding the remainder of the coaching staff will be made after additional investigations are concluded,” he said.
New Mexico State is planning a news conference on Wednesday morning.
Leader contracts
Arvizu is in his final months as chancellor. His five-year contract expires June 30, and regents have instructed the university’s administration to begin working on finding his replacement.
Heiar’s contract, which payed him a base salary of $300,000 per year, was to be through April 2027.
It’s not yet clear whether Heiar was fired for cause.
His contract says that if the university terminates his contract without cause the school has to pay him his base pay through the remainder of the contract, minus his future compensation from another employer.
The contract also spells out scenarios in which the university could terminate his contract for cause.
There are 15 such provisions. They include things like betting on intercollegiate or professional sports and using alcohol or drugs to a degree that impairs his ability to perform his duties. There is also a clause that Heiar could be fired for failing to report violations of university police or rules by people under his direction to university officials, or being involved in a scandal or other conduct that reflects unfavorably upon the university’s reputation, according to a copy of his contract.
Heiar’s contract also states that he and the chancellor can reach a “termination by mutual agreement.”
