by Vanessa Strobbe
Daily Lobo
A quarterback throws a 50-yard touchdown pass to win a game. A point guard makes a buzzer-beating three-pointer in overtime. A shortstop slugs a clutch grand slam in the ninth inning. An athlete drives drunk.
UNM student athletes shine in the Albuquerque spotlight for their athletic achievements as well as their criminal actions.
Most misdemeanor charges for a typical person are made known only to those charged, their families, the police and the courts. However, charges for UNM athletes are much different, said Rudy Davalos, UNM's former athletic director.
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"Our athletes are not treated the same as normal students," he said. "Often, you will see a story about an athlete in trouble on the first page of the paper, especially if it's a high-profile athlete."
For Albuquerque, the closest professional team in any sport is in Denver. UNM men's basketball coach Ritchie McKay said that is why the Lobos are in the public eye.
"Whether it is fair that the kids are publicized so much does not matter," he said. "It's reality. In a community like ours, where there are no close professional sports, I think the publicity comes with the territory."
To some, making the athletes publicly accountable for their mistakes is a useful tool in preventing future incidents.
"The media makes us responsible for our good deeds along with our bad ones," said Jessica McIntyre, a UNM javelin thrower.
Some blame the media for humiliating the athletes and do not approve of the negative publicity, said Jeramie White, a UNM track sprinter.
"The athletes are being exploited," he said. "The exploitation is not only making us look bad personally, but the University looks bad as well."
Davalos said the University looks fine.
"UNM has fewer problems than most universities, I think," he said. "We have 400 to 500 student athletes, and only about 1 percent seems to get in trouble. I'm very satisfied with the behavior of 98 percent to 99 percent of the athletes."
Davalos said there is no reason to make any changes to lessen the number of athletes who become involved in criminal activity.
"We have already set the tone, and so far, it has been effective," he said.
UNM has no official behavioral code or alcohol policy for its student athletes. The disciplinary process and punishment of athletes who break the law is left to the coaches' discretion.
"Their discipline is what the law does to them," Davalos said. "Coaches do discipline the athletes as well, but most punishment is fairly the same from all standpoints."
McKay said a University-wide policy would be difficult to implement because each individual case is different. He personally holds his team to a high standard, he said.
"I ask my guys to refrain from certain things during the season," he said. "I ask them to be aware of three things: time, place and substance. They make more effort in where they choose to go and what time they choose to end their night. We have a level of accountability in place, but it won't always be perfect."
Davalos said a great day would be when there are no problems with athletes in trouble, but that is not realistic.
"We're never going to have 100 percent of the athletes not get in trouble," he said. "That's just the way society works, but I want the media to have less to report about."
