Auburn star Pettiford arrested on charge of DUI

Auburn prima Tahaad Pettiford, an SEC subordinate of the twelvemonth contender successful 2025-26, was arrested aboriginal Saturday greeting connected a DUI complaint successful Lee County, Alabama, according to jailhouse logs.

Pettiford was inactive successful custody with a $1000 enslaved arsenic of precocious Saturday morning, a root astatine the Lee County jailhouse told ESPN.

"We are alert of the situation, and we volition grip it internally with Tahaad and his family," Auburn caput manager Bruce Pearl said successful a connection to ESPN connected Saturday. "We instrumentality these matters earnestly and volition larn and turn from it moving forward."

The 19-year-old's apprehension for driving nether the power of intoxicant comes conscionable weeks aft he withdrew from the NBA draft. Pettiford, who averaged 11.6 PPG successful his freshman play for an Auburn squad that secured the No. 1 wide effect successful the NCAA tourney and reached the Final Four, is the cornerstone of Auburn's adjacent section pursuing the departure of prima Johni Broome.

Following his withdrawal from the draft, Pettiford said helium returned to Auburn successful portion to beryllium that helium tin vie astatine the adjacent level.

"I was blessed to spell done the process, getting feedback from NBA teams," Pettiford told ESPN then. "Going backmost to Auburn is simply a amended concern for me. I spot myself being a higher prime adjacent year. It wasn't 100% this year, truthful I didn't privation to instrumentality that chance."

Although helium didn't person the aforesaid buzz arsenic immoderate of the apical freshmen successful the state during the 2024-25 season, Pettiford was wide viewed arsenic 1 of the champion young players successful the country.

He's connected a abbreviated database of players who volition participate the 2025-26 play arsenic a imaginable preseason All-American. He averaged 15.2 PPG successful 5 NCAA tourney games.

Prior to his team's tally to the Final Four, Pearl praised Pettiford's humility and refusal to get upset erstwhile helium had to judge little playing clip connected a squad afloat of apical veterans.

"I accidental immoderate would conscionable benignant of expect that to beryllium a problem," Pearl said astir Pettiford's concern successful April. "Not a word. Not a assemblage language, enarthrosis shrug, rotation oculus ever from Tahaad."