New Mexico State coach Jerry Kill put rival New Mexico on blast Saturday night following the New Mexico Bowl, which is played on UNM's campus in Albuquerque, calling out alleged "chickenshit" behavior by UNM athletic director Eddie Nuñez leading up to the game. The 37-10 loss to Fresno State may have been a sour way to end the program's best season in the modern era (and second-best ever), but the alleged treatment by the Aggies' in-state rival, and bowl game host, is what irked Kill the most.
"When [Nuñez] doesn't let us practice in the indoor facility, when he doesn't want us to do this, do that, that's chickenshit," Kill said, per KTSM. "I don't care, that's my opinion. I get in trouble, I don't give a shit, either. I can go down to Mexico tomorrow, drink margaritas and let y'all enjoy your life, because I'll be enjoying mine."
The remarks were part of a two-minute rant from Kill, 62, who just finished his second season at New Mexico State as part of a lengthy coaching career dating back to the mid-1980s. While Kill credited the bowl game itself for doing a "great job," the crux of his issue was the difficulty of dealing with UNM.
There is backstory, though. Aggies quarterback Diego Pavia was caught apparently urinating on New Mexico's indoor practice field in September. The matter was handled internally, but that still appeared to have affected the Aggies' return trip to Albuquerque, according to Kill.
"We disciplined the young man," Kill said. "He [Pavia] doesn't get to do any interviews and stuff like that. If you want to take a toothbrush and clean toilets all the time, that ain't a lot of fun and do community service. Well guess what? I hope the AD here gets the same damn discipline with the people around this state that Diego got, because he deserves it.
"I've got class, and I've had class my whole life," Kill continued. "You can ask the college football profession. I've had class. I've never been treated like that. And guess what? When that incident happened, I didn't know about it for two months, and we beat them right here. Then they tell me after the game. Take that to the bank. He [Nuñez] better be disciplined. He better be disciplined by this state, and if he's not, it's a crime."
The New Mexico Bowl issued a statement after the game saying it works with both teams playing in the game to ensure "equal access to training and practice facilities."
"The University of New Mexico has been gracious hosts for the past 18 years and this year's game was no exception," the statement said. "Understanding the nature of both in-state and in-conference rivalries there is always a sense of ensuring that all parties respect each other's property, which in this case was upheld by both institutions."
