Finally, some good news for New Mexico football coach Mike Locksley.

Despite leading the Lobos to a 2-21 record in his first two seasons - with TCU still left on the 2010 schedule - and creating multiple, embarrassing off-the-field incidents in his first two years on the job, Locksley will return to coach the Lobos in 2011.

If it’s hard to imagine that Locksley would receive such a vote of confidence from New Mexico Athletic Director Paul Krebs, don’t bother - because Locksley didn’t get one. Read more…

Here’s a flyer that was circulated by the thousands early Wednesday morning on the campus of New Mexico State in Las Cruces, New Mexico:

The paper messages, which were posted overnight on or at campus dorms, light poles, parking lots, bus stops, academic buildings and the main Corbett Student Center were seen by NMSU students as they went to class today - including Aggie football players.

It took hours to scrub the campus of the obscene fliers, which appeared three days before the winless New Mexico State football team takes on in-state rival New Mexico in Las Cruces.

Neither team has tasted victory this season, with local and national media spotlighting the astonishingly moribund state of New Mexico football. UNM is currently 0-5 and has won one game game in two years under new coach Mike Locksley. NMSU is 0-4 in 2010 and 3-14 for coach DeWayne Walker in his second season. Read more…

A former executive producer of University of New Mexico Lobo TV sports programming and long-time news producer for KRQE-TV in Albuquerque reported yesterday on his Facebook page that UNM will fire football coach Mike Locksley and hire Mike Leach as Locksley’s replacement after the Lobos play in-state rival New Mexico State on Oct. 9.

New Mexico’s football radio broadcast flagship KOB-AM reportedly then picked up the Facebook entry from Gerges Scott, who is now a crisis communications consultant. KOB-FM subsequently mentioned its sister station’s report about the Locksley’s firing on its Twitter page:

“Rumors coming from our sister station 770 KKOB that UNM Lobos football coach Mike Locksley will be fired after the game at NMSU on October 9th, and replaced with ANOTHER controversial coach!”

The ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL reports that Scott said he was told the news by “unnamed sources.” Read more…

Last season Univ. of New Mexico head football coach Mike Locksley was suspended for a game after admitting to a physical altercation with former UNM assistant football coach J.B. Gerald. Gerald said that during the confrontation, Locksley punched him. Also last year Locksley was named in a sexual harassment lawsuit by a University of New Mexico employee. The school settled the case out of court.

Today NBC’s KOB Channel 4 in Albuquerque reports that the Univ. of New Mexico is refusing to provide the station video of an alleged altercation at a local bar last July between a UNM DAILY LOBO student newspaper reporter and Locksley despite the school acknowledging that it showed the video to the ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL. The Journal subsequently reported that no altercation took place.

(A formal “Inspection of Public Records Act” request for video was also denied)

The student newspaper reported today that it was also twice refused a copy of the video after its reporter, Daily Lobo sports editor Ryan Tomari was allegedly confronted by an angry, profane Locksley at the bar on July 31. The Daily Lobo reported today that after that July alleged altercation, University of New Mexico “media relations representative Chris Deal has since apologized to Tomari on Locksley’s behalf.” Read more…

So at this point the only way that Elizabeth Lambert could be more popular is if her parents sent her hurtling away in a makeshift balloon, which would then sail over the Khloe Kardashian-Lamar Odom wedding. There have been more than 10.2 million online views of her hair-pulling shenanigans in the semifinals of the Mountain West Conference soccer tournament, making it one of the most-watched videos of all time.

According to VIDEO MEASURES, a video analysis company, the Lambert video “rose in viral status” at a faster rate than both Balloon Boy and the JK Wedding Dance, the latter I admit I had to look up. There’s a handy chart below.

(Not shown: Number of times I have watched this video, which I believe is 11.5 million) Read more…

Earlier this morning, we showed you video of New Mexico women’s soccer player Elizabeth Lambert going full berzerker on the Lobos’ opponents, BYU. Despite repeated blatant offenses against the Cougars (no, not them) - not the least of which was yanking a competitor to the ground by her ponytail, as seen below, Lambert only got a yellow card for her actions in the 1-0 loss.

(C’mon, ref, let ‘em play.)

Thanks to the highlights hitting the national airwaves, though, school officials had no choice but to address Lambert’s repeated instances dirty play; she has now publicly apologized and has been, of course, indefinitely suspended. Apology is after the break.

Read more…

You know it’s a big day when we’re bringing you women’s soccer highlights. Yesterday’s game between BYU and New Mexico wasn’t especially crazy if you only look at the box score. 1-0, Stormin’ Lady Mormons. It’s how we all got there that’s raising an eyebrow or two.

(Hey hey hey hey hey, none of that, girls.)

Yeah, that’s a BYU player getting pulled down to the ground by her ponytail. And that’s New Mexico defender Elizabeth Lambert getting away with it. And you know how badly she behaved yesterday? That might not be the most flagrantly violent thing she did on the field. Lambert’s tally on the day - at least, everything that made the highlight reel, lord only knows what else went on - was a punch to the small of the back, some Muay Thai knees to the sternum, a tackle that earns a yellow card anywhere else, that aforementioned hair pull … deep breath… a trip, a ball kicked straight into a prone player’s face point blank, and a straight karate chop to the face. Oh, and one yellow card. No gunshot wound, no red, apparently. Video is after the break, and you’re going to want to watch this one.

Read more…

Martin Salazar of the ALBUQUERQUE JOURNAL has an update on the increasingly outrageous details of the Mike Locksley assault aftermath at the University of New Mexico:

University of New Mexico officials alleged Wednesday that assistant coach J.B. Gerald demanded $500,000 from the university in exchange for remaining silent about the Mike Locksley altercation. Evidence in the case was destroyed, UNM officials told the Journal.

Gerald is the New Mexico assistant football coach who alleged he was choked and punched by Lobos head coach Locksley in a coaches meeting on Sept. 20. More:

A timeline distributed by the university states that on Oct. 1, “university receives letter from J.B. Gerald’s attorney offering continued media silence in exchange for a $500,000 settlement figure.”

That sounds like extortion to me. But there’s no way of knowing, because the school’s athletic dept. “destroyed” all the evidence of the investigation!  (So did HR “shred” the documents or … ?) Read more…

It’s fair to say that even halfway through the regular season, the inaugural year of the Mike Locksley regime at UNM has been an unqualified mess. We’ve documented the litany of off-field scandals already - culminating in the surreal incident where Locksley punched his wide receivers coach, J.B. Gerald, in the face - but let’s go ahead and add “0-6″ to that list, with the Lobos joining only five other I-A teams who still have donuts in the W column this late.

(Good night, sweet prince.)

After considerable public outcry, the University of New Mexico brass reconsidered their earlier decision to simply verbally reprimand Locksley, and a probe from the HR department was re-opened. In fact, according to ESPN.COM, university officials have decided to announce a decision on Locksley’s fate on Tuesday.

Turns out, though, that the university announced a resignation over the incident ahead of time today. Did Locksley have a sudden pang of morality over the whole incident and excuse himself from further employment? No, of course not; the victim, J.B. Gerald, is calling it quits.

Read more…

It’s safe to say the Mike Locksley Era at New Mexico hasn’t exactly gone according to plan. Well, that is, unless athletic director Paul Krebs planned on an age-discrimination lawsuit, press conferences with none-too-subtle references to the ejaculations, and a locker room fight between coaches. We really hope the Lobos expected more.

(Yes, this is serious. Face-punchingly serious.)

But as Krebs only handed down a letter of reprimand to Locksley and let him continue his job, the UNM students have apparently decided that it’s up to them to sheriff the Lobos.  Feckless human resources department, meet the Associated Students of New Mexico (ASUNM). They’re here to punch this problem in the face.

Read more…