Former New Mexico State men’s basketball players file lawsuit over hazing allegations
Two former New Mexico State men’s basketball players have filed a lawsuit over the hazing allegations that led to the cancelation of the team’s season earlier this year.
In the lawsuit, which was filed in New Mexico state court on Wednesday, freshman guard Deuce Benjamin and redshirt freshman forward Shakiru Odunewu publicly step forward as victims in the hazing scandal. They claim three of their former teammates – Kim Aiken Jr., Doctor Bradley and DeShawndre Washington – harassed and degraded them in multiple incidents over the past year.
Benjamin’s father, William, is the third plaintiff in the lawsuit, which also alleges negligence by former head coach Greg Heiar, former assistant Dominique Taylor and the New Mexico State Board of Regents.
which was obtained by the Las Cruces Sun-News.abruptly shut down its men’s basketball program and place its coaching staff on administrative leave. Heiar was fired for cause a few days later, as the university pledged to investigate.
The hazing allegations came just a few months after another Aggies player, Mike Peake, exchanged gunfire with a University of New Mexico student on Nov. 19. Peake sustained a gunshot wound to his left leg, while a UNM student named Brandon Travis was killed.
The incident drew further scrutiny after authorities saw on surveillance video that some of Peake’s teammates had arrived on the scene before police, and Peake had put his gun and a tablet in the trunk of their car. The weapon and tablet later wound up in the hands of assistant basketball coaches, who turned them over to police.
The two scandals have resulted in an overhaul of the Aggies’ men’s basketball program, and an almost complete exodus of players.
announced Tuesday that he had entered the transfer portal. He wrote on social media that, as a local kid, it had been his dream to play for the Aggies but “due to the actions of others (which I will not go into here) that dream changed into a nightmare.” Odunewu entered the portal last month.
As of Wednesday evening, the online roster for the Aggies’ 2023-24 season listed new head coach Jason Hooten and two of his assistants but no players.
Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on Twitter @Tom_Schad.