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The Tahaad Pettiford university basketball star was imprisoned in Alabama during Saturday morning, according to prison records.
Auburn’s basketball guard was finally released from custody the same day, Espn reported. Until Saturday afternoon, the name of Pettiford was no longer on the list of inmates in the prison record.
Auburn chief coach Bruce Pearl recognized 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 male basketball tournament in the second round at the 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 issues seriously and learn and grow from it in the future.”
Pettiford’s legal problems occurred shortly after he decided to remove his name from the NBA Draft. The 19 -year -old guard averaged 11.6 points per game during its productive first year season.
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Pettiford said he had reached the decision to return to university basketball ranks because he presented a more ideal situation for him at that time.
The Florida Gators striker, Alex Condon, tries to block a shot of the Auburn Tigers guard, Tahaad Pettiford (0) in the semifinals of the Male Four Four of the NCAA 2025 tournament in the Alamodome. (Robert Deutsch-Imagn images)
“I was happy to go through the process, receiving comments from the NBA teams,” Pettiford told ESPN shortly after he retired from the draft.
“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.”
Tahaad Pettiford, #0 of Auburn’s tigers, dribla against the Houston Cours during the first half of Battleground 2K24 mattress in the Toyota Center on November 9, 2024, in Houston, Texas. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
Pettiford was a key part of the Tigres team that won the best general seed in the male basketball tournament of Division I of this year’s NCAA. Auburn March’s madness race ended when they suffered a defeat by 79-73 against their rival of the SEC, Florida in the Final Four.
Pettiford averaged 15.2 points per game during the NCAA tournament.
It is largely seen as the next rock player of the next chapter of the Tigers after Johni Broome, the SEC player of the year by 2024-25, made the leap to the NBA. The Philadelphia 76ers selected Broome in the second round of the draft last month.
