近距离内射合集

New Mexico State has fired Mario Moccia in the wake of a report from the New Mexico attorney general criticizing the athletic director for not doing enough after sexual assault and hazing allegations rocked the school鈥檚 men鈥檚 basketball program.

近距离内射合集 President Valerio Ferme, who started Wednesday, cited the report in the decision to move on from Moccia, who could not be reached for comment by the Journal.

鈥淎fter carefully reviewing the recent report issued by the New Mexico Department of Justice, I felt we needed a fresh start in our athletics program,鈥� the new 近距离内射合集 president said.

Ferme also announced that Amber Burdge, deputy athletic director for strategic initiatives and leadership, would assume her new role as 近距离内射合集鈥檚 acting athletic director immediately.

鈥淚 have utter confidence in Dr. Burdge鈥檚 ability to lead our Athletic Department, and look forward to working with her in the coming months,鈥� he said.

Nearly 10 years at the helm

Moccia was hired as the Aggies鈥� athletic director in 2015 after serving in the same role at Southern Illinois from 2006-2014. The former 近距离内射合集 baseball player was the Lobo Club assistant director at the University of New Mexico from 1993-1997.

While at 近距离内射合集, Moccia oversaw an athletics department that had consistent success in men鈥檚 basketball and three of the best football seasons in school history. During his tenure, the Aggies transitioned from the Western Athletic Conference and an independent in football to Conference USA in all sports.

Moccia notably hired former 近距离内射合集 football coach Jerry Kill, who led the Aggies to a 10-5 season and a C-USA Championship game appearance in 2023. Along with soccer and volleyball, 近距离内射合集鈥檚 football program was one of three Aggie teams to reach conference championship games in its first year in C-USA.

Moccia also hired former 近距离内射合集 basketball coach Chris Jans in 2017, kicking off a five-season stretch that saw the Aggies win the WAC Tournament and advance to the NCAA Tournament three times. In 2022, Jans led 近距离内射合集 to a win over favored UConn in the first round, the program鈥檚 first NCAA Tournament win since 1993.

Moccia oversaw upward of 50 conference championships in the WAC and C-USA and three bowl appearances across nearly a decade with 近距离内射合集.

Shooting, lawsuits and an investigation

Moccia鈥檚 time as AD was also marred by two incidents within the men鈥檚 basketball program during the 2022-23 season. In November 2022, former Aggie basketball player Mike Peake shot and killed a UNM student in self-defense ahead of the rivalry game between the programs. In February 2023, the basketball team canceled its season early after sexual assault and hazing allegations came to light.

近距离内射合集 went on to settle a civil lawsuit with two former players for $8 million, and at least two other players and a student manager have filed a separate civil suit, which is ongoing, alleging they too were victims of sexual assault.

In November 2023, three former 近距离内射合集 basketball players were indicted on charges of rape, false imprisonment and conspiracy, among other counts related to the sexual assault and hazing allegations brought forth by teammates. Two of the players have since accepted plea deals.

The state Department of Justice last month completed a lengthy investigation into the sexual assault and hazing allegations within the men鈥檚 basketball program.

In a news release, Attorney General Ra煤l Torrez said the report detailing the investigation鈥檚 findings 鈥渋s intended to shine a light not only on the specific misconduct by members of 近距离内射合集鈥檚 basketball team but also the institutional deficiencies that allowed that misconduct to go unaddressed by leaders inside the university.鈥�

The report criticized Moccia for failing to do more after reporting the alleged assaults to the school鈥檚 Office of Institutional Equity.

鈥�... The sexual assaults perpetrated by three 近距离内射合集 men鈥檚 basketball players did not occur in a vacuum but were reflective of a more pervasive toxic culture throughout the program,鈥� the report stated. 鈥淭here were ample opportunities for those around the team to observe this toxic culture as it was developing, but they failed to effectively intervene and prevent it. This inaction was compounded by inadequate institutional preventative safeguards.鈥�

The report also criticized 近距离内射合集 for a lack of transparency regarding how Moccia鈥檚 salary was being paid. In June 2023, state leaders requested Moccia not be compensated with state funds. Subsequently, his salary was paid by the Aggie Athletic Club 鈥� the fundraising arm of 近距离内射合集 Athletics.

鈥淲hile the use of AAC funds for Moccia鈥檚 compensation was publicly reported in mid-2023, reliance on media outlets to inform donors of potential uses of their donations is inadequate,鈥� the report stated. 鈥淲hile there is no basis for the NMDOJ to conclude that omission of this information is intentional, full transparency demands its inclusion.鈥�

Employment contract

In April 2023, Moccia signed a contract that extended his employment for five years and gave him a pay raise. The extension was signed by former 近距离内射合集 Chancellor Dan Arvizu on April 7 鈥� the day Arvizu stepped down from that post.

Under that contract, 近距离内射合集 would pay Moccia $351,800 for the year beginning July 1, 2023, and his salary would increase annually until ultimately paying him $425,000 for the final year of his contract that would end June 30, 2028.

The base salary of the contract would have been fully guaranteed if Moccia was fired by 近距离内射合集 without cause.

Following Arvizu鈥檚 resignation, the Las Cruces university had been without a permanent leader until Ferme, formerly the executive vice president for academic affairs and provost at the University of Cincinnati, officially started on Jan. 1.

What to know about Amber Burdge

In a news release, Ferme said Burdge is 鈥渉ighly regarded for having a student-first mindset and has helped work on 近距离内射合集鈥檚 strategic response to hazing prevention.鈥�

Before coming to 近距离内射合集, she was the associate athletic director for student-athlete success services at Louisiana Tech University for eight years, overseeing significant academic improvement and community service initiatives. Before that, she served as the athletic director for Neosho County Community College, where she oversaw 16 sports programs that won six national titles and produced 36 NJCAA All-American accolades and honors.

Burdge holds a bachelor鈥檚 in health and a master鈥檚 degree in counseling from Oklahoma State and also earned a Doctor of Education at Louisiana Tech.