Syracuse men’s basketball coach Jim Boeheim was driving a car Wednesday night in Syracuse that fatally struck a man on an interstate highway, police said Thursday.

Jim Boeheim Involved in Car Accident

The man, 51-year-old Jorge Jimenez, was reportedly standing outside a car that had crashed into a guardrail on Interstate 690 at around 11:22 p.m. EST Wednesday. Boeheim is said to have hit Jimenez while swerving to avoid the other vehicle.

Boeheim was forced to take a sobriety test but the results came back negative, officials said. The 74-year-old Syracuse coach released a statement Thursday about the incident.

“I am heartbroken that a member of our community died as the result of last night’s accident,” he said. “[Boeheim’s wife] Juli and I extend our deepest sympathies to the Jimenez family. Out of respect for those involved, I will not be providing further comment at this time.”

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Syracuse’s athletic director John Wildhack also voiced his condolences to those affected by the accident in his own statement.

“We are saddened by the death of a member of our Central New York community,” said Wildhack. “On behalf of Chancellor Kent Syverud and the entire Syracuse University community, we extend our deepest condolences to all impacted by this tragic accident. Coach Boeheim is in contact with local authorities and cooperating fully. Out of respect for those grieving, there will be no further comment at this time. ”

An investigation into the incident has now been launched and nobody has yet been charged for any crimes.

On Wednesday, the Orange beat No. 18 Louisville 69-49 at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse. Boeheim’s team next hosts top-ranked Duke on Saturday night. Syracuse (18-8) is currently ranked fourth in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Boeheim has served as Syracuse’s head basketball coach since 1976. He has led the Orange to one NCAA Championship victory and five Regional Final Four titles.

Sometimes Jim Boeheim‘s response to reporters is more curt than it needs to be, but this time the situation is flipped. The media has taken a simple, honest comment by Boeheim out of context suggesting Boeheim meant an ‘unlikely’ championship run for Carmelo Anthony in a malicious way.

Boeheim has never liked the media and taking things out of context is one of the reasons why.

This shouldn’t be shocking to anyone. What Boeheim said is a fact. Despite the acquisitions of Joakim Noah, Derrick Rose and Courtney Lee combined with Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis, the Knicks aren’t going to beat the likes of NBA Champions Cavaliers or runners up Golden State Warriors.

Boeheim was made to seem like he was trying to take Melo down after his fourth Olympic appearance and third time winning gold, when in fact he was the one who convinced Melo to play for Team USA in Rio. Unless you read the Syracuse newspaper no one else chose to point out that according to Syracuse.com Boeheim said Melo was “the unquestionable leader on this team…I think he did a great job,” referring to Melo’s Olympic presence.

Perhaps some wonder why Boeheim even bothered to mention the fact that Anthony won’t win an NBA title, but the context in which it was said makes sense.

Boeheim went on-air with SportsCenter saying he hopes Melo wins a title, but was trying to make the statement that despite the fact that he hasn’t won one, he has still achieved greatness. Boeheim also wanted to clear the air so his children won’t be mad at him for saying Melo probably won’t win an NBA title.

I don’t think Boeheim has ever smiled so big for an interview.

Anthony was the second highest scorer on Team USA in Rio averaging 12.2 points per game and 5.3 rebounds per game.

“He was a really good leader on this year’s team,” Boeheim said. “When we were struggling there, he was a good voice in the locker room. He kept everybody together. We had so many new guys that weren’t used to, some of them hadn’t come off the bench in some time and it was a struggle for them, but everything came together.”

Boeheim felt it was important for Anthony to be on the Olympic team because the last couple years with the Knicks have been challenging and he wanted Melo to have a good experience and fill the leadership role Team USA was missing. A third Olympic gold can be a legacy Anthony leaves.

“He’s never been on a team that even had a remote chance of winning an NBA title. As a player, all you can do is try to make your team better and every team he’s been on he’s made them a lot better. Denver hadn’t done anything prior to him getting there and he took them into the playoffs. They weren’t going to beat the Lakers or the Spurs. In those years, they won the championship most of the time,” he said. “But he’s always made his team better. “It’s obvious. You look back on your total basketball experience and he had a great high school team, he won the NCAA championship and he’s won three gold medals in the Olympics. That’s a pretty good resume.”

This was likely the last time the two will pair up as coach and player. In 2020 for the Tokyo Olympics Anthony will be 36.

HOUSTON, TEXAS – APRIL 02: Head coach Jim Boeheim of the Syracuse Orange reacts in the second half against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the NCAA Men’s Final Four Semifinal at NRG Stadium on April 2, 2016 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

On Wednesday, the NCAA upheld Syracuse Orange men’s basketball coach Jim Boeheim‘s nine-game suspension. They did concede, however, to move the ban to the non-conference portion of the schedule. The original punishment was handed down in March, when an investigation found the athletic department had violated academic misconduct, benefit and drug testing policies.

That means Beoheim will begin serving his suspension at midnight before this weekend’s game against Georgetown. While the adjusted timing theoretically helps the program, the coach still isn’t happy about the timing of the announcement.

“They gave us two days’ notice,” Boeheim told ESPN. “If they were going to do this, why not six weeks ago? We’d been preparing to use the next few games and practices to prepare the coaching staff for what was going to happen. Now we have less than two days. It’s less than ideal. The players are in class. I can’t pull them out of class. They’re going to know from the public before they hear it from me.”

“It’ll be difficult, very difficult,” he continued. “I’ve missed three games in 40 years, and that’s when I was being treated for cancer. That’s it. It will be a very difficult process. We just have to work through it. The team will be all right. The coaches are prepared.”

Boeheim can return to the team for January 9’s game against North Carolina. In the meantime, he can’t contact his team in any manner, appear on his television or radio shows or even work in his Syracuse office.