New Mexico State Head Football Coach Doug Martin Denies Allegations of Abuse, Nepotism

Doug Martin, the head football coach at New Mexico State University, has come under fire after complaints have surfaced that he has treated student athletes poorly and with disregard to their health.

In a letter sent to the New Mexico Attorney General, an alleged parent of one of the student athletes on the NM State football team accused Martin of “putting students in peril by making them practice under dangerous conditions.”

The letter also accuses him of “forcing players to play when hurt and not seek out trainers on staff” and of “disparate treatment of minority student athletes, nepotism, and hiring disparities.”

More specifically, Martin is accused of verbal bullying and intimidating behavior toward student athletes.

The complaint was received during the first week of November and an investigation was launched soon after, according to a spokesman from the university.

On Wednesday, Doug Martin released a statement in response to the allegations:

“This is a ridiculous allegation that will be proven false by players and trainers and everyone around here. It comes from a single disgruntled parent who has a kid that was not getting to play. They have been threatening me all year long that if their kid didn’t play they had friends who could get me fired. They have used racial slurs saying I treat black players better than other players. This will all come out in the end to be false.”

On Twitter, there have been mixed reviews. One former player claims Doug Martin is one of the best coaches he ever got to play under, while other fans seem to be using this as fuel to get him fired after a few disappointing seasons.

It will be interesting to see what the full investigation will reveal. I personally don’t think Doug Martin is the kind of person that would do any of these things and the fact that a lot of the allegations are very vague make me think it is an angry parent, but who knows. Only time will tell as the investigation unravels.