ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Did University of New Mexico basketball coaches prioritize winning over the safety of their players? It's a question at the center of a developing story involving allegations of violence on the team's airplane to California. UNM investigating incident involving men’s basketball players on plane KRQE Investigates sat down with a Lobo basketball redshirt freshman who claims his dream of playing in the Pit was tarnished after an alleged attack by a teammate during a recent plane ride to a tournament in California. "Since I was little, I knew I always wanted to not just play college ball, but play in the Pit," said Shane Douma-Sanchez. "It was always a dream of mine since, like, since sixth grade." That dream became a reality for the 20-year-old Laguna Pueblo native, securing a spot as a redshirt freshman with the University of New Mexico Lobo basketball team. "I feel like I had to work extra hard," Douma-Sanchez told KRQE. On Tuesday, he spoke publicly about a situation he claims turned violent with a teammate on November 26 as the team's plane landed in Palm Springs for the Acrisure Classic Tournament. "I mean, every team has issues, but it's never gone to the point where we wanted to hit each other and hurt each other," Douma-Sanchez told KRQE. "It's never gone to that point." That is until last week when Douma-Sanchez claims a dispute over an airplane seat escalated to blows. He claims when they landed in Palm Springs, another player sucker-punched him in the face, fracturing his nose, then hit him in his already-injured shoulder. The player, who KRQE News 13 is not naming since no one has been criminally charged or suspended, was then allowed to play in both games. Meanwhile, Douma-Sanchez said he flew home and spent part of Thanksgiving in the hospital. "I think they had the best interest of the team at the time, which was winning basketball games, because that's what we were there to do," said Douma-Sanchez. In a letter to UNM, his attorneys outline a series of claims including a quote, "Very serious matter involving possible felony criminal charges." The letter also alleges a "Complete dereliction of duty by UNM's basketball coaching staff." "At the very minimum, I think that suspending the player at that time so they could investigate this case would have been important to do, contact authorities if need be," explained David Adams, an attorney representing Douma-Sanchez. "College athletics should be about the betterment of the student-athletes," said Charles Parnall, another attorney representing Douma-Sanchez. "And here we have a situation where the coaches and the administration have clearly prioritized winning and the financial benefits to the school of their athletic program over the safety of their student-athletes." Both attorneys said they're proud of UNM law graduates and want the best outcome for all students involved. "Coming from just a reasonable person and somebody that's a fierce advocate for the University and a graduate from the University, the very least, you would expect that people in leadership positions would step in to make sure that people are protected, safe, and taken care of," said Adams. "And it just didn't happen here." The University of New Mexico issued the following statement late Monday: “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. 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.” During a Tuesday press conference, head men's basketball coach, Richard Pitino said, "The University has issued a statement. We will follow those protocols. There's not a whole lot I can talk about. We are handling any discipline matters internally, but other than that, there's not a whole lot I can say specifically." KRQE spoke with the alleged aggressor's attorney off-camera. He wouldn't agree to an interview but said his client denies all allegations by Douma-Sanchez. The attorney said they are "doing a thorough investigation, and when it's complete, at the appropriate time, if necessary he will release it." Douma-Sanchez said while his future as a Lobo is unclear at this point, his love of the game isn't going anywhere. "If you do the right thing, it'll show," said Douma-Sanchez. Attorneys for Douma-Sanchez said their client has since filed police reports with authorities since no one reported it to police at the time of the alleged attack. They also may file a civil lawsuit against UNM. UNM sent an additional statement Tuesday night: The University follows protocols and policies outlined by the student (https://pathfinder.unm.edu/code-of-conduct.html) and student-athlete codes of conduct (https://storage.googleapis.com/golobos-com/2021/09/7aaac0ce-21-22-sa-handbook.pdf), as well as state and federal laws. How a matter is handled can take different or multiple pathways to an examination of the facts. It is imperative that we ensure the integrity of the way in which we obtain and review the facts and accounts associated with any allegation before issuing definitive statements on where matters currently stand. However, we will always share with the public what is allowable under the law and what does not jeopardize that integrity. That said, we will not comment on specific students or their interactions, as their records are protected by federal law. Cinnamon Blair, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer