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New Mexico State University announced Friday night its men's basketball program has been indefinitely suspended. The school also placed first-year coach Greg Heiar and his staff on paid administrative leave for "violations of university policy."
Though a reason behind the moves was not given, the university did say the decision is unrelated to a deadly shooting involving NMSU power forward Mike Peake on Nov. 19. Peake, 21, was shot in the leg at the University of New Mexico hours before a rivalry game between the two schools.
He was reportedly lured to the campus by 19-year-old Brandon Travis and three other UNM students, including a 17-year-old girl. Travis was also shot during the exchange and later died from his injuries. Peake was suspended in early December while a third-party investigator looked into his involvement in the shooting.
Peake has not been charged, and a December report from KOAT stated that video evidence showed three teammates – Issa Muhammed, Marchelus Avery and Anthony Roy – pick him up at the scene in a yellow Camaro before police arrived. They reportedly took him to a hospital.
Then-LSU assistant coach Greg Heiar, center, shouts from the sideline during the team's NCAA men's college basketball tournament game against Yale in Jacksonville, Fla., March 21, 2019. (AP Photo/Stephen B. Morton)
In a statement to Fox News Digital, the university said:
"New Mexico State University is suspending operations for the men’s basketball program until further notice. NMSU personnel were recently informed of new allegations, separate from the events that took place in Albuquerque late last year, involving potential violations of university policy. While those allegations are being investigated, the men’s basketball coaching staff has been placed on paid administrative leave. The game scheduled for February 11 against California Baptist will not be played."
The university did not share if or when the program will be reinstated.
The New Mexico State University Board of Regents also told Fox News Digital it "supports the action taken by the university leaders and is confident a full and thorough investigation will be conducted." The district attorney in Albuquerque is conducting a separate investigation.
The shutdown of a Division I program midseason is extremely rare outside the COVID-19 outbreak or many players with injuries. Southern Methodist University's football program did not play in 1987 and 1988 after the NCAA imposed sanctions, but that call was made in advance, The AP reported.
Shortly after the shooting, Heiar loaded the team, minus Peake and the three who picked him up, onto a bus and left town. The university's bus was stopped by police on its way back to campus in Las Cruces, approximately three hours south.
Mike Peake #15 talks to Sir'Jabari Rice #10 of the New Mexico State Aggies during their game against the New Mexico Lobos at The Pit on Dec. 6, 2021 in Albuquerque, N.M. (Sam Wasson/Getty Images)
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The Aggies' program had been teetering since that night, beginning with the canceled game against the Lobos in Albuquerque which was originally scheduled for the day after the shooting. A rematch against UNM scheduled for Dec. 3 in Las Cruces was also canceled.
New Mexico State's game against California Baptist on Saturday, Feb. 11, was also canceled. A decision on the team's remaining five games, all conference matches, has not been announced.
The AP reported that leadership at the school is also in flux as the board of regents recently decided not to renew the contract of Chancellor Dan Arvizu, which expires in June.
Over the past 14 months, both the school's president and provost have resigned or been removed from their positions.
The Aggies have won seven Western Athletic Conference titles and made eight appearances in March Madness since 2007. They were supposed to move into Conference USA next year.
A Google Earth image shows New Mexico State University's Pan American Center, where the Aggies play basketball. (Google Earth)
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In Heiar's first season at the helm, NMSU has struggled to a 9-15 record, including 10 losses in their last 12 games.
Heiar took over for Chris Jans, who went 122-32 in five seasons when he left for Mississippi State. Jans also took the Aggies to three tournaments.
Fox News Digital has reached out to NMSU's Athletics department for comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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