Davie clears air on letter allegations

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - Questions about a nasty anonymous letter hit Lobo Head Football Coach Bob Davie out of the blue Thursday at a news conference about recruit signings . The letter made several claims including one that Davie got into a fist fight with a player.

The unknown writer sent the letter to media outlets and UNM President Robert Frank several weeks ago but with no evidence to support the claims, they were never reported until a sports reporter suddenly asked about them Wednesday.

Davie made it clear Thursday, he's not happy talking about the letter, but added he wasn't going to let anyone call him a racist and spread lies.

“I want total transparency. I have nothing to hide,” Davie told reporters just one day after saying he wouldn't respond to the anonymous letter.

He says there is no truth to allegation he's racist, “Every player in this program will be treated exactly the same. I don't care if you are black, I don't care if you are white.”

The letter signed "UNM senior football players" also claims that a black player who tested positive for pot at training camp was kicked off the team -- while a white player wasn't reprimanded.

“If you tested positive, that urine doesn't know if your black white or what you are,” said Davie talking about how all players are treated the same under the drug policy.

Davie admitted there have been issues with pot use on the team,  "We've had this situation happen where someone tested positive for the third time.”

That means they are kicked off the team - but because of federal privacy laws Davie could not go into what happened to that player.

The letter also claimed Davie got into a fist fight with a player during half time of the Boise State game. The Lobos were losing badly that day and as the team was about to come back on the field, Davie said he did confront a player who he saw joking and laughing.

“So, I go on a bee-line for that player and the player continues to talk, continues to laugh. I come face to face with that player. There was never a punch there was never an altercation,” said Davie said. “Never did I jerk a guy, slam a guy, twist a guy or anything that was that was, and I fell, it's embarrassing as heck to be honest because I pride myself on being an athletic guy. And I fell and went down and I go down and the guy kind of grabbed me and he comes down with me.”

Davie says that player who he confronted and who fell to the ground with him, was one of his recruits and that they now have a very strong relationship.

The University also says no senior player has raised any of the issues in the letter during exit interviews required by the NCAA.

The athletic department says it has signed statements from four people who witnessed the incident and the statements say there was no fight. UNM cannot release those statements, again because of federal privacy laws.