New Mexico St. fires advertisement Moccia in wake of report
New Mexico State is carrying on from athletic director Mario Moccia in the wake of an investigation that criticized the school’s behavior around the sexual abuse that momentarily closed down the Aggies’ men’s basketball program.Valerio Ferme, who took control of as university president to start the year, revealed Moccia’s termination Thursday and that Amber Burdge, NMSU’s deputy athletic director for tactical efforts and leadership, would be acting athletic director.”After carefully examining the current report issued by the New Mexico Department of Justice, I felt we needed a new beginning in our sports program,”Ferme stated. “I have utter self-confidence in Dr. Burdge’s capability to lead our athletic department and anticipate working with her in the coming months. “Ferme stated Burdge played a crucial function in NMSU’s strategic action to hazing
avoidance as the school’s senior female administrator and deputy Title IX coordinator.Two previous basketball players have consented to plea deals in the assault cases brought against them, and a third is
due for trial next month.The assault claims forced New Mexico State to close down its 2022-23 season. In 2023, the school paid out $8 million to settle a lawsuit brought by 2 of the victims, former players Deuce Benjamin and Shak Odunewu, who went public with the stories of their abuse.But likewise in 2023, New Mexico State offered Moccia a five-year contract extension and a$ 72,000 raise to $351,000 a year in the first year of the brand-new deal, which
was scheduled to end in 2028. That offer was signed by chancellor Dan Arvizu on the exact same day he stepped down from his post– timing the school stated was a coincidence.The state Department of Justice review of the sexual assaults discovered that they “did not happen in a vacuum but were reflective of a more pervasive poisonous culture throughout the program.
“”There were ample chances for those around the group to observe this toxic culture as it was establishing, but they failed to successfully intervene and avoid it,”the report stated.”This inactiveness was intensified by insufficient institutional preventative safeguards.”Among the report’s criticisms of Moccia was that he did refrain from doing enough upon discovering the attacks, leaning on his belief that when personnel reported the case to the school’s Workplace of Institutional Equity, it
had satisfied its responsibility.” As an initial matter, it deserves noting that this belief conflicts with real practice; Director Moccia met and observed pertinent videos by [two of the implicated gamers] after the OIE had gotten Deuce Benjamin’s report in February 2022, “the report said.The report likewise kept in mind the school’s absence of openness in utilizing booster funds from the Aggie Athletic Club instead of state funds to pay Moccia under his new contract.”While the use of AAC funds for Moccia’s compensation was publicly reported in mid-2023, dependence on media outlets
to notify donors of possible usages of their contributions is insufficient,”the report said.Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.