Following up on a story from earlier tonight (Arizona suspends Phelps)…

The University of Arizona has issued a statement on the status of current men’s basketball assistant coach Mark Phelps. After his attorney released a Facebook post announcing Phelps suspension amid an NCAA investigation, (and claiming his innocence), UA has responded with the following statement:

“The University of Arizona has initiated the process to terminate Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach Mark Phelps’ employment with the University. During this process, Phelps has been placed on suspension with pay in accordance with University policy. This personnel action is not related to the federal criminal proceedings in New York or the NCAA’s review of the facts underlying the allegations of unlawful conduct.”

University of Arizona AD Dave Heeke also released a statement of his own:

“The University of Arizona is committed to the highest standards of integrity and ethical conduct and our commitment to those principles is unwavering. The decision to remove Coach Phelps immediately is a direct result of that commitment. We strive to compete within the rules of the NCAA and the PAC-12 Conference, and we will continue to cooperate fully with the NCAA. Coach Miller fully supports this decision, which we agree is in the best interests of our men’s basketball program and the University.”

According to a report by Stadium’s Jeff Goodman, the Phelps case involves “an online course involving a recruit who never wound up attending Arizona.”

More on this fast moving story as it continues to develop.