Bruce Pearl breaks silence on Auburn players' alleged fight on the flight: "We're dealing with it head on"
Head coach Bruce Pearl finally had his say on the Auburn Tigers' chaotic in-flight incident prior to facing the Houston Cougars this weekend. Last Friday, freshman Jahki Howard and SMU transfer Ja'Heim Hudson reportedly got into an ugly scuffle during the team's flight to Houston, forcing the plane to be turned around to Auburn.
The Tigers then flew to Houston on Saturday, leaving Howard and Hudson behind in Auburn. Following a turbulent weekend during which Auburn scored a narrow 74-69 win over the No. 3 Cougars, Pearl appeared on the latest episode of the Goodman & Hummel Podcast, which is part of The Field of 68 Network. When asked about the incident, Pearl divulged that there is an ongoing process to deal with the situation, refusing to give any specific details about what went down on the flight.
"I'm limited in what I want to say, but it was an unfortunate situation," said Pearl. "But, we are dealing with it head on, and it's sort of an ongoing process. So, I think that's the best way I can approach it."
When asked to indirectly describe how the fight escalated, Pearl chose to keep mum.
"No, in order to be in compliance with my leadership. But listen, we are going to handle it the right way."
Pearl unclear on Howard and Hudson's availability against Kent State
Pearl also admitted he was uncertain on whether Howard and Hudson would feature in the Tigers' next game against the Kent State Golden Flashes Nov. 13 because of the ongoing process to deal with the situation at hand.
"It's an ongoing process. They'll be in class tomorrow. And we're obviously in the process of with dealing it, so we'll do it the right way, be fair to all concerned. But, it's an ongoing process, so therefore, I really can't comment."
The No. 11 Tigers sweat it out at the Toyota Center in their game against the Cougars on Saturday. While their starters struggled to score, senior Johni Broome led the way for the Tigers, finishing with 20 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Freshman Tahaad Pettiford was impressive off the bench, finishing as the Tigers' top scorer with 21 points. Chaney Johnson recorded a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds as Auburn moved to 2-0.