Auburn basketball player Tahaad Pettiford was arrested for DUI in Lee County, Alabama, early Saturday, according to a prison log reported by ESPN.
The expected SEC Player of the Year candidate has since been released from custody and is no longer listed in the prison records, the report mentioned.
This incident occurs just weeks after Pettiford withdrew from the NBA Draft to return to the Tigers for his sophomore season.
Auburn’s head coach, Bruce Pearl, acknowledged the situation on Saturday, stating, “We are aware of this situation and we will handle it internally with Tahaad and his family. We take these issues seriously and then learn and grow from them.”
During his freshman year, Pettiford averaged 11.6 points per game and had a shooting percentage of 42.1% while playing around 23 minutes a game. He was an important contributor to the Auburn team, which reached the Final Four last season, averaging 15.2 points in five tournament games.
Looking ahead, Pettiford is set to become a key player for the team following the selection of star Johnny Bloom by the 76ers.
“I was happy to get feedback from the NBA teams and go through the process,” Pettiford said to ESPN after he opted out of the draft. “Returning to Auburn feels like a better situation for me. I believe I can be a higher pick next year. I didn’t want to take any chances this year since it wasn’t 100%,” he added.
Although Pettiford wasn’t heavily discussed in the Big Freshman conversation last season, he’s expected to be a standout next year.
Pearl has previously commended Pettiford’s attitude, particularly regarding his acceptance of playing time among veteran teammates. “Some might expect that to be an issue,” Pearl remarked in April. “But it’s not just talk. You can sense it in Tahaad’s body language,” he concluded.
