New Mexico basketball player punched walk-on over plane seating assignment

Two New Mexico basketball players battled in a mid-air fight over a seat on a plane.

While on a plane en route to Palm Springs, Calif. for the Acrisure Classic last month, two unnamed Lobos men’s basketball players were involved in an incident that resulted in a scholarship player punching a walk-on player in the shoulder and needing medical treatment, KOB 4 New Mexico reports.

The family of the walk-on player told KOB 4 there was also a separate incident where the scholarship player hit their son at the hotel earlier that day.

They also revealed to KOB 4 that said player went to the coaching staff, led by Richard Pitino, son of Rick Pitino, and his staff didn’t do anything about the alleged assault.

The attorney for the walk-on player told KRQE that the fight was over a seat on the plane and that the player who hit him was allowed to play in the Acrisure Classic.

When the walk-on player was allegedly punched in the shoulder, he was already in a sling due to a prior injury and had to be treated at an Albuquerque hospital once he returned home from Palm Springs.

The school said in a statement that is aware of the alleged confrontation, although it refused to confirm any additional details.

“The University of New Mexico takes the safety and well-being of all our students very seriously. We are aware of an alleged incident involving members of our men’s basketball team and are carefully reviewing and assessing all of the facts,” the statement read.

“We are following all appropriate protocols and procedures in addressing this situation and are committed to addressing any misconduct appropriately. Due to federal student privacy laws, specifically the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), we cannot disclose specific details or comment further on individual student matters.”

New Mexico is 6-2 on the year and fell short in the Acrisure Classic, losing its opening game to Arizona State, 85-82, before rebounding to defeat USC.