Some members of the girls basketball team at West Las Vegas High School are refusing to play, claiming their head coach is verbally abusive and needs to be replaced.
According to KRQE, varsity team member Gabriella Salinas sent a petition to the school district signed by six players claiming head coach Miranda Martinez has crossed the line, saying she abuses her players verbally, emotionally and mentally.
“She’d go into locker rooms and throw her clipboard and say that we’re a lost cause,” Salinas told KRQE. “Pick on you individually in your face. There’s been points where I’ve had her saliva on my face from her yelling so close to me.”
Another player reportedly quit the team when Martinez criticized her weight.
According to the KRQE report, Salinas' mother, Sarah Tafoya, informed Superintendent Christopher Gutierrez of her concerns about Martinez last year, but no action was taken. The petition, signed by 26 people in all, has prompted an investigation by the New Mexico Public Education Department.
According to the Las Vegas Optic, Salinas is the student council president at West Las Vegas High School and is the student school board member.
Martinez became the head coach when she was hired at her alma mater in 2018.