Locksley furor touched off PR worries

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - The Mike Locksley controversy at the University of New Mexico has calmed down for now, but at its peak last month e-mails among athletic department brass show they were very worried.

The problems started the day after the Lobos' third loss in a row on Sept. 19. Locksley, the head football coach, attacked assistant coach JB Gerald at a coaches meeting.

Gerald filed a police report saying Locksley choked him and punched him in the mouth.

"It wasn't necessarily a punch," Locksley said shortly after the incident became public. "I'm not going to get into specifics."

Eight days later he wouldn't address specifics and read a prepared statement approved by Athletic Director Paul Krebs.

At the same news conference Krebs announced Locksley would be reprimanded and that his internal investigation showed no evidence of a punch.

"You simply cannot put your hand on another coach," said Krebs.

The slap on the wrist caused a public outcry leaving people wondering if Locksley got off too lightly.

Even Krebs' No. 2, Senior Associate Athletic Director Tim Cass, seemed to wonder.

"Good job," he e-mailed Krebs, adding, "Does the punishment fit the crime so to speak?"

He also wrote, "Is there a pattern of behavior developing here."

The next day, Sept. 29, Associate Athletic Director Greg Remington e-mailed Krebs about the furor over Gerald's accusations.

"JB coming forward and saying something (positive) would sure soothe the situation," Remington wrote.

Krebs e-mailed Remington back saying, "Suggest you try and reach out to him."

You could call it circling the public relations wagons as a series of e-mails galloped around UNM on what to say and how to improve the public relations mess.

Also on Sept. 29 Krebs announced the UNM Human Resources Department would launch an investigation into the attack and into how the Athletic Department investigation was handled.

Three days later on Oct. 2 Krebs e-mailed the head of HR saying. "The President and I informed Mike (Locksley) and reinforced the need to be truthful."

Then on Oct. 13, the same day UNM announced a 10-day suspension for Locksley, Krebs wrote to a sports media consultant, "Feel like he (Locksley) may take me down with him."

Oct. 30 the cable sports channel ESPN interviewed Gerald giving his account of the altercation with Locksley. That same day News 13 obtained photos of Gerald with a split lip allegedly caused by Locksley plus internal UNM documents confirming other coaches witnessed the dustup and saw a punch thrown.

A few days later News 13 interviewed UNM President David Schmidly and Krebs. Both insisted there was no cover-up, and Krebs still maintained there is no proof Locksley actually punched Gerald.

The 1-10 Lobo football team ends its season Saturday at Texas Christian University. The TCU Horned Frogs are ranked 4th in the country and are 44-point favorites.