New Mexico State basketball suspends operations indefinitely based on new allegations

New Mexico State is suspending its men’s basketball operations, the university said in a statement Friday night. The decision comes after new allegations came out against members of the program unrelated to the shooting incident that took place in November.

It’s unclear if, or when, the season will resume, according to KTSM-TV.

“New Mexico State University is suspending operations for the men’s basketball program until further notice,” the statement read. “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.”

Stadium’s Jeff Goodman provided more details on the situation, reporting multiple players allegedly hazed a teammate on more than one occasion. A police report was filed, and that led to the decision to shut down operations.

The NMSU Board of Regents also sent a statement to KTSM regarding the situation.

“The New Mexico State University Board of Regents were informed this evening of the suspension of operations for the men’s basketball program,” the statement read. “The board supports the action taken by the university leaders and is confident a full and thorough investigation will be conducted.”

New Mexico State is currently 9-15 overall and 2-10 in WAC play. The Aggies are coming off a loss to Grand Canyon earlier this week and their game against Cal Baptist will be a forfeit, according to reports.

More on the previous allegations against the New Mexico State program

Aggies guard Mike Peake was involved in a homicide on the New Mexico campus in November, leading to the decision to cancel the game between the two teams. A 19-year-old UNM student was the victim and police told the Albuquerque Journal two men and a 17-year-old girl conspired to get Peake to campus to “assault” the student.

Then, according to a report from KOAT-TV in Albuquerque, coaches left the New Mexico campus in a bus while investigators were still trying to interview them and locate the gun. This led police to believe the gun could be on the bus, and resulted in an officer speeding down the interstate with sirens on to pull them over.

Ultimately, the gun was not on the bus, but was found back at the team’s hotel in the possession of assistant coach Dominique Taylor. The coach initially told police he did not know where the gun was.