Auburn Tahaad Pettiford star, a Player of the year of the SEC year in 2025-26, was arrested early Saturday morning by a position in DUI in Lee County, Alabama, according to the trunks of the prison.
Pettiford, 19, was launched at noon, told ESPN, and no longer appears as an inmate in the prison record.
“We are aware of the situation, and we will handle it internally with Tahaad and his family,” said Auburn coach Bruce Pearl, in a statement to ESPN on Saturday. “We take these issues seriously and learn and grow from it in the future.”
Pettiford's arrest for a driving position under the influence of alcohol occurs only weeks after he retired from the NBA draft. Pettiford, who averaged 11.6 ppg in his first year season for an Auburn team that secured the general seed number 1 in the NCAA tournament and reached the Final Four, is the cornerstone of the next chapter of Auburn after the game of the star Johni Broome.
On Saturday night, he published an apology through social networks.
“Last night, I made a serious mistake and one for which I assumed all the responsibility. My actions put me at risk and others, and that is why I feel deeply. There is no excuse,” he said in his Instagram story. “For my family, his teammates, coaches and fans, I know that I have disappointed you. I understand the disappointment and concern that this has caused, and I want you to know that I am taking this seriously. This is not who I am, and not who I will be.
“I am committed to learning this moment and making significant and positive changes in my life. I am grateful for the support and responsibility of those around me, and I will work to recover the confidence I have lost.”
After his draft withdrawal, Pettiford said he returned to Auburn in part to show that he can compete at the next level.
“I was happy to go through the process, receiving comments from the NBA teams,” Pettiford told ESPN then. “Back to Auburn is a better situation for me. I see myself being a higher choice next year. It was not 100% this year, so I didn't want to risk.”
Although he did not receive the same buzz as some of the best first-year students in the country during the 2024-25 season, Pettiford was widely seen as one of the best young players in the country.
It is in a brief list of players who will enter the 2025-26 season as a possible All-American preseason. Averaged 15.2 ppg in five NCAA tournament games.
Before his team's race to the Final Four, Pearl praised Pettiford's humility and refusal to get angry when he had to accept less play time in a squad full of superior veterans.
“I guess some would expect that to be a problem,” Pearl said about Pettiford's situation in April. “It is not a word. It is not a body language, shoulder shrug of shoulders, move Tahaad's eyes.”
