Relatives of a University of Texas student who died a month after he was grievously injured in a crash returning from a Texas Cowboys off-campus retreat say they learned he was paddled with a stick during hazing rituals, leaving welts on his body that were still visible at the time of his death.

The family of Nicholas Cumberland said they also were told that at the retreat, another new member of the group bit off the head of a live hamster at the urging of older members.

Cumberland's family released their findings, the details of which have not previously been reported, to the American-Statesman this week. The family told the newspaper and other media outlets last month that they had discovered in conversations with people who attended the retreat that hazing had occurred in the hours before the wreck that led to the death of Nicholas, a 20-year-old majoring in business, finance and radio-television-film.

Meanwhile, the UT Police Department confirmed to the Statesman that it has opened an investigation into the hazing allegation involving the Cowboys, a prominent spirit group that fires Smokey the Cannon after Longhorn scores at home football games.

"UTPD is investigating an allegation of hazing that may have occurred prior to the death of a UT student," said David Carter, assistant vice president of campus security and chief of police. "Anytime a criminal allegation is brought forth, UTPD looks into the matter. This is a criminal investigation occurring separately from the university’s student conduct investigation."

The retreat apparently took place on a private ranch in Brown County, about 160 miles northwest of Austin, but Carter said his department has "full jurisdiction in any county where the University of Texas owns property or has a significant interest. If a crime occurs in another jurisdiction, we may collaborate with any other law enforcement agencies."

Hazing is illegal under state law and can be prosecuted as a misdemeanor. It also violates UT policies and can draw sanctions that include the permanent shutdown of a student group and the expulsion of students involved in the activity.

"The university is committed to providing a safe educational environment for all students and does not tolerate hazing by any group or individual affiliated with it," UT spokeswoman Sara Kennedy said. "Allegations of hazing by the Texas Cowboys are under investigation. The investigation has completed the initial round of interviews. To protect the integrity of the student conduct process, we are not able to share any additional information at this time."

Cumberland, who was a Houston Memorial High valedictorian, was a passenger in a GMC Canyon pickup that rolled over on the way back to Austin shortly before 6 a.m. Sept. 30 on U.S. 183 outside Lometa in Lampasas County, about 85 miles northwest of Austin. According to a Texas Department of Public Safety crash report, the driver had fallen asleep. Cumberland and three others in the back seat were not wearing seat belts, and he was ejected, the report said.

After the crash, Cumberland was hospitalized on life support, and his father, Shawn, said the welts on his son's body were visible until he died four weeks later. Shawn Cumberland said he learned Nicholas had been paddled with a stick at the retreat.

"I know if Nicky was in pain, if there was any way he could have gotten home, gotten out of there, he would have taken that opportunity," he said.

He added that while older Cowboys members traveled by chartered bus, new members were required to use their personal vehicles.

The Cumberland family shared a list of items that new members were required to bring to the September retreat, including 35 cases of beer, 15 bottles of liquor and an assortment of other alcoholic beverages. The list also requested a live chicken — "the animal not the food" — and a live hamster.

Shawn Cumberland said people who were at the event told him older Cowboys egged on a new member of the group to bite off the hamster's head.

The Texas Cowboys Alumni Association said in a statement that it is "deeply disturbed by these allegations. While our investigation found that neither alcohol nor hazing played any part in the accident that occurred that weekend, these charges clearly do not align with our organization’s standards. As we have from day one, we will continue to work closely with the student group and the university to understand exactly what occurred and what needs to be done differently in the future.”

The conduct of the Texas Cowboys, many of whose members have gone on to prominent positions in government, business and civic life, has been a concern in the past. The group was disbanded for five years after 19-year-old Gabe Higgins drowned in the Colorado River in 1995 following what UT officials later said were hours of alcohol-fueled hazing.

Published reports said Higgins participated in rituals that included eating hot dogs laced with tobacco and swimming in the river while wearing boots. Alumni of the group, school officials and new initiates said in 2000 that a new culture, which did not tolerate hazing, had been established.

Texas Cowboys Alumni Association President Eddie Lopez, who graduated from UT in 2008, said there was no hazing during the time he was in the group. He said he's concerned the organization could again be sanctioned by university officials as a result of the latest allegations.

"You're always thinking that. They're doing their due diligence. If they find anything, we'll leave it up to them to decide what action they take," Lopez said, adding that there are a little more than 100 students in the group.

Shawn Cumberland said he shared the information he received about hazing with university officials and hopes Cowboys members who attended the event will be truthful with investigators.

"What we've done is given the first domino to them," he said. "We hope we'll be able to understand more about that day's event."

Nicholas Cumberland's girlfriend, Clio Harralson, a UT senior, said he had worried about his safety as he prepared for the retreat because of rumors he had heard about the Cowboys drinking heavily and playing football in the mud. Cumberland sent Harralson text messages on his way to the ranch, saying, "It'll be an interesting one haha" and "This is gonna be rough haha."