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College basketball star Tahaad Pettiford was jailed in Alabama in the early-morning hours on Saturday, jail records showed.
The Auburn basketball guard was eventually released from custody on the same day, ESPN reported. As of Saturday afternoon, Pettiford’s name was no longer on the list of inmates on the jail’s log.
Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl acknowledged the serious nature of Pettiford’s circumstances.
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Tahaad Pettiford, #0 of the Auburn Tigers, looks back during the game against the Creighton Bluejays in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament Second Round at Rupp Arena on March 22, 2025, in Lexington, Kentucky. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
“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.”
Pettiford’s legal troubles came shortly after he decided to withdraw his name from the NBA Draft. The 19-year-old guard averaged 11.6 points per game during his productive freshman season.
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Pettiford said he had reached the decision to return to the college basketball ranks because it presented a more ideal situation for him at the time.
Florida Gators forward Alex Condon attempts to block a shot by Auburn Tigers guard Tahaad Pettiford (0) in the semifinals of the men’s Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at the Alamodome. (Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images)
“I was happy to go through the process, getting feedback from NBA teams,” Pettiford told ESPN shortly after he withdrew from 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% this year, so I didn’t want to take that chance.”
Tahaad Pettiford, #0 of the Auburn Tigers, dribbles against the Houston Cougars during the first half of the Mattress Firm Battleground 2k24 at Toyota Center on November 9, 2024, in Houston, Texas. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
Pettiford was a key part of the Tigers team that earned the top overall seed in this year’s NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament. Auburn’s March Madness run ended when they suffered a 79-73 loss to their SEC rival Florida in the Final Four.
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Pettiford averaged 15.2 points per game during the NCAA tournament.
He is largely viewed as the program’s next bedrock player of the Tigers’ next chapter after Johni Broome, the SEC Player of the Year for 2024-25, made the jump to the NBA. The Philadelphia 76ers selected Broome in the second round of last month’s draft.
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