Family of late UNM football player Flowers to announce civil suit against UNM and NCAA
By Steve Virgen / Journal Asst. Sports Editor
Monday, August 24th, 2020 at 4:22pm
Nahje Flowers (Courtesy UNM Athletics)
The family of Nahje Flowers, along with their lawyers, are set to announce a civil suit against the University of New Mexico and the NCAA on Tuesday, according to a press release from attorney Ben Crump.
Flowers, a UNM football player who was 21, died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound Nov. 5.
His mother filed a notice of claim against UNM in February.
Crump, a civil rights and personal injury attorney, with co-counsels Bob Hilliard and Mika Hilaire are scheduled to make the announcement at 1 p.m.
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Crump is representing the families of George Floyd of Minnesota and Jacob Blake of Wisconsin. Floyd was killed in Minneapolis during an arrest in May. Blake was shot multiple times by police in Kenosha on Sunday night and remains in serious condition.
According to the press release from Crump’s office: “A few days before Flowers’ death, he had seen a psychiatrist for thoughts of suicide and for depression. He was prescribed antidepressants by the doctor and was instructed to sit out for at least two games. His coach forced him to play the game, despite the health concerns. Flowers did not go to school the next day, and was later found dead in his apartment from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. The autopsy indicated his brain had signs of (chronic traumatic encephalopathy).”
Bob Davie was UNM’s football coach at the time. Davie, who was fired in late November,
made several complaints throughout his final season with the Lobos, including his concern for the availability of mental health resources for players. His teams went 8-28 over his final three seasons, and he was with UNM for 8 years. In December, Davie and UNM reached a settlement for a buyout of $825,000 to be paid over 30 months. Part of the agreement signed by UNM president Garnett Stokes and Davie stipulated neither side would speak badly about the other, the Journal reported in February.
The Journal also reported in February that “Workup for chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) was performed,” on Flowers’ brain and he did not have CTE, according to an autopsy report filed by medical investigator Dr. Lauren E. Dvorscak of UNM School of Medicine on Jan. 6.
“While tau deposition was present focally, its presence in this case does not meet the diagnostic criteria for CTE,” the report reads.
Flowers, a 6-foot-3, 278-pound redshirt junior nose tackle, was found dead in his off-campus residence.
Depression was listed as a past and recent health complaint in Flowers’ medical history, according to the police report investigating his death. Flowers said in a group text message early the morning of Nov. 5 that the antidepressants he was taking were not helping him, the police report says.
Flowers, who grew up in Los Angeles and played football at Dorsey High School, had been due in court later in the day of Nov. 5 on a petty misdemeanor charge that involved an accusation of “keying” a car of an “ex-friend,” according to a criminal complaint.
Vickie Gilmore, Flowers’ mother, declined to be interviewed when she was reached by the Journal in November and December.
Flowers missed UNM games against Wyoming (Oct. 19) and Hawaii (Oct. 26) because of a shoulder injury, UNM said in November. He played in the Lobos’ loss at Nevada at Nov. 2 and practiced with the team on Nov. 4.
In February, UNM offensive lineman Teton Saltes, quarterback Tevaka Tuioti athletic director Eddie Nuñez and New Mexico State A.D. Mario Moccia
lobbied for a bill for funds that would be appropriated for behavioral health services at UNM and NMSU.
Nuñez previously had asked for more financial support for mental health in athletics, but it was vetoed in early 2019.
When Saltes spoke in February he cited Flowers’ death as proof of UNM’s need for more counseling and behavioral health screening.
“The circumstances that led to his suicide are not unique to only him,” Saltes said at the time.
He tweeted on Monday: “Had @GovMLG (New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham) provided the appropriate funding towards mental health for student-athletes instead line item vetoing it, maybe UNM wouldn’t be in the middle of a lawsuit.”
The state’s current $7 billion state budget includes two $225,000 appropriations for behavioral health programs for student athletes at UNM and NMSU.
