Friday evening, it was reported that two of Auburn's basketball players were involved in an altercation that led to the pilot diverting the plane back to Auburn and requesting police presence upon arrival.
According to Air Traffic Control audio received by WBRC Fox 6 in Birmingham, there were "two players that got into a physical altercation. Clothes were ripped, and one bloody player."
After the plane returned to Auburn, it was reported that freshman Jahki Howard and transfer Ja'Heim Hudson did not travel back with the team to Houston.
Head coach Bruce Pearl, prior to Auburn's showdown in Houston at the Toyota Center, went on the Auburn sports network and said, "It's an unfortunate situation, and we're dealing with it head-on. I'm really not going to comment on it tonight."
Upon the team's return to Auburn as the Tigers get ready to start a new week in preparation for Wednesday nights game against Kent State, Pearl joined "The Field of 68 Podcast" and further explained the incident from Friday evening.
"It was an unfortunate situation," Pearl said. "But we are dealing with it head-on, and it's sort of an ongoing process. That's the best way I can approach it."
"We're going to handle it the right way, in spite of a very rough start to our trip, we played in a basketball game in November that felt like it was March. We had a great, great game at Houston and great atmosphere," he added.
When asked if the two players involved would rejoin the team on Wednesday, Pearl replied, "[T]hey'll be in class tomorrow, but we're obviously in the process of dealing with it. So, we'll do it the right way. Be fair to all concerned, but its ongoing."
Tipoff for Wednesday's game is set for 7 p.m. CT and will be streamed on SECN+.
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