By Daniel Libit

On Friday, Bob Davie announced that he would appeal a 30-day suspension that was handed down to him by University of New Mexico’s interim president, following three investigations into his conduct as head UNM football coach. In a statement, Davie said that he did not think it was appropriate for him to discuss most of the specific allegations that had been the subject of those investigations, although he did seek to categorically dispel one particularly inflammatory allegation: that he had told his team to gather “dirt” on a woman who accused a football player of sexual assault.

NMFishbowl.com has now obtained the petition Davie’s attorney, Michael Kennedy, sent on Thursday to UNM interim President Chaouki Abdallah, seeking to vacate the suspension. In the five-page document, Kennedy addresses a number of the other claims that UNM’s outside counsel, Hogan Marron, referenced in its investigative findings report. 

You can read the petition here.

While the cover letter is dated Feb. 8, the petition is dated Feb. 6, and is written in anticipation of the investigative reports by Hogan Marren and UNM’s Office of Equal Opportunity being released.

“It is Petitioner’s understanding that later today President Abdallah plans to publicly reveal the substance of the Decision. For the reasons set forth herein Petitioner respectfully requests that such action be stayed and postponed pending resolution of this appeal. Publication of the Decision during pendency of this appeal would cause grave and irreparable damage to Petitioner and his reputation.”

According to the petition, Davie was informed of the suspension during a meeting with Abdallah on Tuesday.

“The Decision specifically mentions the University prohibition against retaliation and Petitioner has refrained from any such conduct during the nine months of the three University investigations,” Davie’s lawyer writes. “It is Petition’s expectation and University policy right that he will not be the target of retaliation by any member of the University community during or after pendency of this appeal.”

This post will be updated…