Latest news with #TahaadPettiford
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Auburn basketball's Tahaad Pettiford arrested, charged with DUI
This story has been updated to include new information. AUBURN — Tahaad Pettiford, the lone returnee from Auburn basketball's latest Final Four squad, has been arrested and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, according to the Lee County Sherriff's Office. Pettiford, 19, was booked at midnight Saturday and has been released on a $1,000 bond, according to the sherriff's office arrest database. According to Alabama state law, persons under the age of 21 with a blood alcohol concentration of .02% or higher can be charged with DUI. 'We are aware of the situation, and we will handle internally with Tahaad and his family," Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl said in a statement Saturday morning. "We take these matters seriously and will learn and grow from it moving forward.' A rising sophomore, Pettiford shined in his first season on the Plains as the Tigers' third-leading scorer, averaging 11.6 points and 3.0 assists per game. During Auburn's run to the Final Four, he was vital, averaging 17.3 points between the Round of 64 and Elite Eight. He scored 23 and 20 points, respectively, in Auburn's NCAA Tournament wins over Creighton and Michigan. This offseason, Pettiford entered the NBA Draft process, but ultimately withdrew his name May 28, despite an NBA Combine invitation and a handful of first-round projections. Adam Cole is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at acole@ or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @colereporter. To support Adam's work, please subscribe to the Montgomery Advertiser. This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn basketball's Tahaad Pettiford arrested, charged with DUI
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bruce Pearl Reacts to Unfortunate News About Star Auburn Player on Saturday.
Bruce Pearl Reacts to Unfortunate News About Star Auburn Player on Saturday. originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Unfortunate news hit the Auburn Tigers basketball program on Saturday, just months after the team wrapped up an impressive 2024–25 season with an SEC regular season title and a Final Four appearance. Star guard and key returner Tahaad Pettiford was arrested early Saturday morning on a DUI charge in Lee County, Alabama, according to jail records. Pettiford was later released, but the arrest is concerning—particularly as he is just 19 years old. Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl addressed the situation briefly, emphasizing the seriousness of the matter. 'We are aware of the situation, and we will handle it internally with Tahaad and his family,' Pearl said in a statement to ESPN. 'We take these matters seriously and will learn and grow from it moving forward.' Just a few weeks ago, Tahaad Pettiford announced his decision to withdraw from the NBA Draft and return to Auburn, where he's widely considered a serious contender for SEC Player of the Year. With Johni Broome now in the NBA, Pettiford is expected to take over as the catalyst for the Tigers' roster. "I was happy to go through the process and get feedback from NBA teams," Pettiford said after deciding to return. "Going back to Auburn is a better situation for me. I see myself being a higher pick next year. It wasn't 100% this year, so I didn't want to take that chance." Last season, Pettiford averaged 11.6 points, 3.0 assists, and 2.2 rebounds per game, while shooting 36.6% from three-point range. During Auburn's five-game NCAA Tournament run, he elevated his play, averaging 15.2 points per story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 12, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Auburn basketball star guard arrested for DUI
The post Auburn basketball star guard arrested for DUI appeared first on ClutchPoints. Auburn basketball standout Tahaad Pettiford, who made the All-SEC Freshman Team and helped the Tigers advance to their second Final Four in program history, was arrested early Saturday morning on a DUI charge in Lee County, Alabama, per ESPN's Myron Medcalf. Advertisement Because Pettiford is just 19 years old, his blood alcohol level would only have to be 0.02 percent to be considered illegal in Alabama. His bail is set at $1,000. Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl issued a statement following the arrest. 'We are aware of the situation, and we will handle it internally with Tahaad and his family,' the four-time SEC Coach of the Year said. 'We take these matters seriously and will learn and grow from it moving forward.' The Tigers community will wait to see how the team decides to handle this situation. Pettiford scored 11.6 points on 42.1 percent shooting from the field and 36.6 percent shooting from 3-point range last season. He also led Auburn with 3.0 assists despite averaging just 22.9 minutes per contest. The 2024 McDonald's All-American did not command the national attention that SEC Player of the Year Johni Broome did, but he was arguably the X-factor of Pearl's squad. Tahaad Pettiford scored at least 20 points in back-to-back NCAA Tournament games, catching the eye of scouts. He declared for the NBA Draft and participated in the Combine but ultimately withdrew his name from consideration in May. The Jersey City, New Jersey native is returning to Auburn basketball and is expected to be one of the top guards in the country during the 2025-26 campaign. Advertisement There is always a possibility he faces disciplinary action, though. Pearl and the rest of the program will likely try to glean more information from Pettiford's arrest before deciding how to proceed. The Tigers officially begin practice for next season this September. Related: Dusty May defends Juwan Howard's 'misfortune' with Michigan basketball Related: Jon Scheyer has 'never seen anything like' Cedric Coward's NBA Draft rise


New York Post
12-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Auburn star Tahaad Pettiford arrested on DUI charge
Auburn basketball star Tahaad Pettiford was arrested on Saturday morning with a DUI charge in Lee County, Alabama, per jail logs obtained by ESPN. The anticipated SEC Player of the Year contender for the upcoming season was released from jail midday and is no longer on the list as an inmate in the jail's log, the outlet reported. The incident comes just weeks after Pettiford withdrew from the NBA draft to rejoin the Tigers for his sophomore season, looking to prove he is ready for the next level. Tahaad Pettiford drives to the basket during the 2025 NBA Draft Combine on May 13, 2025 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois. NBAE via Getty Images 'We are aware of the situation, and we will handle it internally with Tahaad and his family,' Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said in a statement to ESPN on Saturday. 'We take these matters seriously and will learn and grow from it moving forward.' In his freshman year, Pettiford averaged 11.6 points per game while shooting 42.1 percent from the field across an average 22.9 minutes. He was a key member of an Auburn team that went on to reach the Final Four last season, averaging 15.2 points in the five tournament games. The Jersey City native will be a big highlight of the team's next chapter after star Johni Broome was selected by the 76ers at 35th overall. 'I was happy to go through the process, getting feedback from NBA teams,' Pettiford told ESPN at the time of leaving the draft. 'Going back to Auburn is a better situation for me. I see myself being a higher pick next year. It wasn't 100 percent this year, so I didn't want to take that chance.' Tahaad Pettiford dunks the ball during the 2025 NBA Draft Combine. NBAE via Getty Images Pettiford wasn't a part of the big freshman conversation throughout last season, but for the upcoming year, he is on a short list of players as a possible preseason All-American. In the past, Pearl has applauded Pettiford's team-player mentality when it came to accepting his place and playing time among a team of veterans. 'I suppose some would just sort of expect that to be a problem,' Pearl said about Pettiford's situation in April. 'Not a word. Not a body language, shoulder shrug, roll eye ever from Tahaad.'


Daily Mail
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Auburn's Tahaad Pettiford, 19, arrested on DUI charge after 'getting $2m NIL deal to drop out of NBA Draft'
Auburn basketball star Tahaad Pettiford has been arrested on a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol, according to Lee, County Alabama police records. The 19-year-old's blood-alcohol level has not been revealed publicly, but anything above 0.02 is considered illegal in Alabama because he is underage. He has since posted a $1,000 bond and been released. 'We are aware of the situation, and we will handle internally with Tahaad and his family,' Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl said in a statement Saturday morning, according to the Montgomery Advertiser. 'We take these matters seriously and will learn and grow from it moving forward.' The star sixth man for the Tigers ' Final Four team last season, Pettiford is considered an SEC Player of the Year candidate after averaging 11.6 points, 3.0 assists, 2.2 rebounds and 22.9 minutes in 38 games as a freshman. He then averaged 15.2 points over five NCAA Tournament games, but was held to just 1-of-6 shooting in Auburn's Final Four loss to conference rival, Florida, the eventual champion. Pettiford did test the NBA waters by going through the draft combine before deciding to return to Auburn in 2025-26 for what CBS Sports has reported to be a $2 million NIL deal. His arrest comes at an awkward time for Pearl, who has been mentioned as a potential 2026 U.S. senate candidate in Alabama when former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville is expected to leave his seat on Capitol Hill to run for governor. Auburn alum and former Republican Charles Barkley would support Pearl's U.S. Senatorial campaign if the outspoken supporter of Donald Trump and Israel ever ran for the office in Alabama . 'I respect and trust him,' the basketball legend and Inside the NBA co-host told . 'I just told him to do what he wants to do.' Pearl recently made waves by publicly supporting Trump's decision to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities amid ongoing tensions between that country and Israel. 'Obviously, he's made Auburn basketball relevant, which makes me happy,' Barkley said. 'I said, 'Hey, man, as much as I love you being the head basketball coach at Auburn, you taking Auburn to two Final Fours, something I never thought would happen, but I do understand.' 'If he wants to run, I'm gonna support him 100 percent.' Barkley also voiced his support for Pearl as a coach by mentioning Auburn's graduation rate. 'One thing I know about Bruce, he cares about his players,' Barkley said. 'He's graduated 100 percent of the players who stayed in school for four years, and he's proud of that. 'That was the first conversation we had when he first got the job. I said, 'Hey, man, I want Auburn to be great in basketball. I really do. But my number one priority is these young black kids getting their education. You're gonna have a couple guys who go pro, but most of these guys are gonna have to go out and be grown men. So, I know he cares about people and players.'' Pearl has not indicated any specific plans to run for Senate , but did staunchly support Trump's decision to bomb Iran. The 65-year-old Massachusetts native even went so far as to nominate Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize because of that military action in Iran. Although he is a former Republican, himself, Barkley does not support Trump. However, as he told that doesn't disqualify Pearl from receiving his support.