NMSU coach 'disappointed' in Diego Pavia after urination video, says matter will be handled internally

In a Tuesday press conference, New Mexico State assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Tim Beck said he was “disappointed” in quarterback Diego Pavia after a video surfaced of him urinating in the University of New Mexico indoor practice facility.

KOB-TV Channel 4 on Sunday first published portions of a video depicting a person in grey sweats, believed to be Pavia, peeing on the Lobo logo in the middle of UNM’s practice field.

On Tuesday, Beck confirmed it was Pavia, an Albuquerque native, in the video and said he was made aware of the video’s existence last week.

“You have high expectations for all your players,” he said. “Again, we’re disappointed in his actions, disappointed in what happened. But it’ll be handled internally and we’re gonna move forward.”

Beck said that, to his knowledge, no punishment had been set for Pavia in the wake of the video’s release. Nor was he sure who took the video or whether there would be ramifications for that person, who can be heard in the video referring to Pavia by his NMSU number, “10.”

“From my understanding, this was something that happened before the season ever started,” Beck added. It is still unclear how Pavia gained access to the indoor facility.

A Volcano Vista High School graduate, Pavia finished 9-for-14 for 203 yards and ran for 96 yards in NMSU’s 27-17 victory at UNM on Sept. 16. He’s started all five of NMSU’s games this year, including Saturday’s 20-17 loss at Hawaii.

The Lobos did not offer him a scholarship as a prep recruit and he played at New Mexico Military Institute before transferring to NMSU in 2021.

When asked about the video’s existence, New Mexico head coach Danny Gonzales declined comment during his weekly press conference on Tuesday. UNM athletics spokesperson Frank Mercogliano told the Journal that UNM was made aware of the video last Monday.

NMSU (2-3) is on a bye this week before shifting to the four-game midweek portion of their schedule, starting with a home game against Florida International on Wednesday, Oct. 4.

“Even though the win-loss record right now doesn’t show it, we’re a better football team than we were a year ago,” Beck said. “So we’ve made a lot of strides, a lot of positive strides. But anything that’s negative — an act, something happens — is a distraction from what we’re trying to do.

“And we’re trying to find ways to limit those as much as possible. Something like this pops up, you’ve got to handle it and then move on.”

JERRY KILL MISSES MORE TIME: Beck spoke in place of head coach Jerry Kill on Tuesday. Kill missed practices two weeks ago due to an undisclosed medical issue before returning to coach in the Rio Grande Rivalry. In light of Tuesday’s absence, Beck promised that Kill would be “fine” and is expected to return soon.

“It was a long trip,” Beck said about the trek to Hawaii. “We’re all exhausted from the trip and so, he’s just not here this morning. But he’ll be here as soon as he’s ready to roll.”