updated 12:25 p.m. ET Oct. 27, 2005

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - The American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico has filed a grievance against New Mexico State football coach Hal Mumme, saying he discriminated against a now-released Muslim player by repeatedly questioning him about al-Qaida.

The grievance, filed Tuesday on behalf of former Aggies running back Muammar Ali, also said the football staff required the team to recite the Lord’s Prayer at the end of each practice.

The ACLU, which said Ali does not want to return to the Aggies to play for Mumme, is seeking a public apology from Mumme and disciplinary action against him, and also asked that the school provide diversity training to all students and employees.

Athletic director McKinley Boston confirmed the university had received the complaint. He said the issue will be investigated but indicated there will be no further comment “to ensure the integrity of the investigation.”

The grievance, written by ACLU staff attorney George Bach of Albuquerque, said Mumme questioned Ali repeatedly in July about “Islam and specifically its ties to al-Qaida,” the terrorist organization headed by Osama bin Laden.

Those actions “smack of religious discrimination sufficient to warrant a complete and immediate investigation by the NMSU Office of Institutional Equity,” the ACLU said.

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Peter Simonson, the ACLU’s executive director in Albuquerque, said the organization filed the grievance rather than a lawsuit to give the university a chance to deal with the issue internally. He said the ACLU also is considering sending a letter to the NCAA.

The grievance also notes that the Aggies released two other Muslim players, twin brothers Anthony and Vincent Thompson, in August.

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