Global Courant 2023-05-06 01:09:53
Two former New Mexico State basketball players said they were subjected to hazing and sexual assault by older teammates.
At a press conference, the former players added that their alleged attackers were several members of the basketball team who forced the victims to remain silent.
“There were definitely other players who were attacked the way we were attacked,” Shakiru Odunewu said in an interview with ESPN earlier this week. “But…these other guys, I feel like they manipulated them into believing that if they came out, they were snitching.”
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The New Mexico State Aggies cheerleaders perform during the Western Athletic Conference basketball tournament semifinal between the Texas-Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros and the New Mexico State Aggies at the Orleans Arena on March 15, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images) (Photo by Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images)
According to Odunewu and Deuce Benjamin, some assistant coaches were also targeted. They added that players who committed the alleged harassment also pulled down the pants of assistant coaches in public places.
“After the (game) at UTEP, when we lost, they gasped one of the assistants,” said Benjamin. “An assistant coach had his pants pulled down while sleeping on the bus,” he said, and another was targeted but shouted enough to discourage the attackers.
“(Other coaches acted) like they didn’t see it.”
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Benjamin and Odunewu publicly set out their experiences for the first time on Wednesday. Their lawsuit was filed against the university in April alleging assault charges.
The lawsuit states that Odunewu reported the abuse to coach Greg Heiar, but that the coach did not punish the alleged attackers.
Odunewu then alerted the New Mexico State campus police in February. The basketball season was canceled shortly after Odunewu’s report was filed and Heiar was fired.
The police investigation is still ongoing, but no charges were filed against anyone on Friday.
Deuce Benjamin, left, weeps as he speaks about the assault he faced while playing for NMSU at a press conference held by two former NMSU players and their lawyers on May 3, 2023 at New Mexico State University. (Meg Potter/Sun-News/USA Today Network)
Odunewu identified Kim Aiken Jr., Doctor Bradley and Deshawndre Washington as the alleged assailants and said the three former players targeted “just about everyone”.
Anyone who tried to resist or fight back was punished more severely, according to Odunewu.
Aiken, Bradley and Washington could not be reached for comment. Heiar representatives did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
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Benjamin said pulling down a player’s pants was sometimes seen as part of the team’s pregame ritual. He said he did not speak out during his freshman year because he came to believe the alleged abuse was a normal part of college basketball culture.
Former NMSU basketball player Shakiru Odunewu speaks at a press conference held by two former NMSU players and their lawyers on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at New Mexico State University. (Meg Potter/Sun-News/USA Today Network)
His father, William Benjamin, eventually noticed his son behaving differently. Deuce then had an open dialogue with his father.
“At first I just asked him if he experienced the same things I did when he was in college,” Deuce Benjamin said. “And he wasn’t.”
William Benjamin said his son had been put in an unthinkable situation.
“And as a father, I feel like I let my son down for putting him in this situation,” he said.
Odunewu said he was initially afraid to speak out.
“I was afraid that if I came out…I would ruin these people’s careers. But it got to a point where I just couldn’t take it anymore.
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Benjamin and Odunewu are on the NCAA’s transfer portal and both plan to petition the NCAA for one more year of eligibility.
An earlier version of this story contained an incorrect image. The story has been updated to correctly identify New Mexico State University.
Chantz Martin is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.
